Fear or Freedom?

While rocketing along on the back of the motorbike at 90 miles an hour on the back roads of middle Wales, I was thinking (that's really all I do on the back of the bike - think and take photographs, but you can only take so many of those so I mostly think) about people's tendency to become more fearful as they age. Health, travel, being in new places, trying new things seem to be things that people start saying no to as they age. Anything that differs from the set, comfortable, normal routine rates a no.

And how 'life narrowing' those no's become! "No, I can't go there, I can't eat that, and I certainly couldn't do THAT!" Each no making one's life a bit narrower, a bit smaller.

I almost said no six years ago when Steve asked me to go for a ride on the back of his motorbike. 'Come on, I'm 40 years old, that's a bit old to become a biker chick.' But he really wanted me to try it and was trying so hard to make it comfortable for me that I agreed to give it a try (no matter how silly I looked).

I was so scared I was shaking as I climbed onto the bike and I shook through that whole first ride - but it wasn't too bad and it was a great way to see the country. It was worth getting back on again and I began to enjoy it.

30,000 miles on the back of the bike later, saying yes rather than no to that questipn was one of the best decisions I ever made. I've traveled all over Europe on the back of that bike and seen so many amazing things. It's still a bit scary, but it's also EXCITING! It's broadened and expanded my life in more ways than I can count.

Do we say no to new things more as we get older?

This has been one of those key learnings for me - if I'd said no, I'm too old for that, my life would now be a little bit smaller, a little bit less exciting, a little bit old...