How impotent is your ardor?
 

Do you even care about some of the things that you used to live for as your younger self?

Is this question for me ??? As I get older & older, I notice things about myself changing in this respect. Since a bunch of physical activities I used to enjoy aren't options any more, I find my initiative feels like it's fading away. I don't find myself tearing into things like I used to. I have a permeating feeling of "Been There, Done That" which isn't good. I fight the urge to relax & look at the scenery.

No. I used to live to ride motorcycles. I was on the bike every time I had the chance ripping up the back country roads. I bought a brand new bike in 97, sold it (to upgrade) in 99 with over 30k miles.

I rode my current bike less than 40 miles this summer.

Ardor is one of the best, most descriptive words I know.

My ardor has waned for just a few things, sports cars mostly. I will do another one when we move from the farm and I have started looking.

If nothing hits I am good....the absence of ardor.

My ardor for things past has indeed waned but I have found new objets d'amour on which the waves of my ardor may crash.

I have had 3 distinct passions in life, 4 if you can count it.

Rowing
Cooking
Cars: fixing, restoring, driving

4 is Lifelong learning, and a weak 5th is adventure where I do things like purposely buy a motorcycle on the wrong coast so I can ride across country, buy Scirocco fenders in England so I can go and ship them back, show up in New Zealand with nothing more than a tent to see what will happen.

The only one I am not steeped in is rowing and that will change in a year or two depending on the cartilage in my right shoulder which has been technically gone for 3 years but I seem to have habituated the pain without the need for steroid injections or Advil. We'll see.

But these are things that I am passionate about, addicted to, and am always wanting to do more of each, push boundaries and see what I can go. Endless.

But life long learning, that's where the fun is at.

Isn't this brilliant? And make you want to learn more?

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