Sitting and talking with a long time friend, and fellow enthusiast / rider, we sip our Monster Low Carb and talk about general topics, his bike, riding, some new mod’s we have both done, going to the gym, his latest over wheelie and the resulting bruises (ugly to say the least), my busted up knee, Donjoy custom braces, the list goes on to last years Baja and Day in The Dirt, and than slips into a dark area. The deaths of Marco “Super Sic” Simoncelli, Dan Wheldon, and Rick and Jeff Huseman and the risks involved with what we choose to do for fun or a living, and, like a holeshot quick shift, on to the feeling we get when we are “on the edge”, “pinned and hung out”, or “on the limiter and looking for more”.

      We call it a trip, a rush, an irreplaceable mental charge that is only achievable when we are “in the zone”, of course covering the last time we felt that way and how good it was, and how great the next one will be, how far we have to push past our comfort zone to get there, fleeting into how we know what the real risks are  and how apparant that has been in recent times, and off to how “alien planet” it was to be passed by a trophy truck in the dark at Baja last year, on to helmets and some new designs, how one on my trophy shelf used to be his.

     The conversation flows into our kids, how our oldest ones have unfriended us on facebook, how his youngest is a senior, and my youngest are freshman in college, as we talk deeper about our kids, their accomplishments and how much we love them, both of us began to tear up, our voices crack as we discuss the “tough times” as well as the good times. The emotion on our faces and in our voices is about as subtle as a neon green billboard. WAIT … WHAT ???  We show emotion ? Where was it when we covered the recent deaths in our industry ?

     You see, our general “type” , steers away from thoughts of mortality, away from hospitals, away from doctors, away from what could happen. We don’t live there.

    However we are there for what we believe to be  the most important, our family, our friends, our “little” girls or boys. That is where we show emotion, that is where we are open and raw. Sure mortality exists, but, it is not a focal point,  we do not grieve well.

     We are saddened by the loss of some great and inspirational drivers/riders/builders and racers in the last week, we are saddened for sure, we know what the risks are, we do not grieve.

     We cover some close calls, really close, like having to be revived close, and laugh about the titanium plates and screws, and how funny our X-rays look. Our friends call us crazy, insane, fearless, machine-like, cold, and sometimes just plain stupid.

    Truth is we are not feeling-less, we are not machine-like cold, we are not crazy, or any other adjective our friends use.

     We have learned through experiences; bad ones, painful ones, serious ones, and  good ones. To put in the front of our minds what makes us tick; first, our love for our kids and family. Second, the “rush” we get when riding or risking. Sure somewhere in a very small cell, in one of the rear lobes of our brains, under lock and key  there is a thought of  “what if” or “this could happen”. The cell opens once in a while for a gut check, but for the most part stays locked away.

     We choose to focus on the good, fueled by feelings of those that count in our lives and what we can do to help them, or show them how much we appreciate them and let them know how much they mean to us.

     Our experience has taught us what matters, family, kids, loved ones, friends, and of course the charge, the feeling we get doing what we love. We know the dark side exists, we know things can go bad, we see our heroes pass, we wish them GODSPEED, we feel horrible for their families and friends. We do not grieve, we do not put ourselves mentally in their spot. We are saddened for sure, but, we do not grieve.

     Our advice, is if you choose to ride, race, live  “on the edge”, make sure you know what makes you “tick”, let the ones you love know how you feel, show emotion, be true to yourself, and don’t be afraid to “gut-check”  once in a while, whether you are riding, racing, talking to your kids, or hanging with your friends.