It All Comes Down to Balance

by John Reblin

With the cooler weather and the call for snow this weekend, I am already looking forward to the riding season next year. I am planning some things out in my mind, but before we get too far ahead with that, I need to make sure the bike and my self is ready to go. I am not focusing right now on the bike. I have plenty of time over the winter to get that ready…Well let’s be honest here it will probably be done in the springtime.

I sat through Slider’s presentation on the aging rider during the Meeting of the Minds in Denver and decided I want to be in riding condition in the spring. Perfect timing. I figured out what my cardio was going to be along with how I was going to change up my strength work. But I also wanted to add some balance work, so I felt confident walking around outside, not worrying about slipping on snow or wet pavement, falling down and getting hurt.

I thought about balance while driving around today and it seems everything in life comes down to balance. Right now, I want to balance my workouts, balancing the stress on the muscles so I don’t over train one part and neglect the other part. I want to build strength in my muscles, but I also want to stretch to make sure they aren’t tight, and I can be a little more flexible. I want to make sure my heart is strong, so I can handle sitting on the bike for day and not have to worry about stressing that part of my body also.

I then remembered I need to balance my life. To balance out work, I need relaxation. I need to make sure the important things in my life were getting the commitment they deserved. Spending time with my lovely bride, work, ABATE of Wisconsin, family and friends. It all comes down to balance.

We just ended the 2018 election cycle for our state and I realized this also comes down to balance. Our system is designed to be equal, three sections of government, Executive, Legislative and Judicial all with power but with the checks and balances, one not being stronger than the other. I was taught to see our government as a three-legged stool with an equal amount of power in each leg to make sure one leg (branch) does not give way to the other. Sometimes though, it seems like we have a pendulum mixed into the system. Not too long ago we had a swing or shift in one direction, but balance tried to right the system and the pendulum swung to the other side an equal distance from center. And now, we have a slight shift heading the other way. Balance, I think is keeping our system and government in check. John Adams and the others in the early days of the colonies wanted to unite a country and keep all that power in a central government, so came up with this checks and balances idea hundreds of years ago. I wonder if they knew it would have lasted this long. Our organization has a long commitment of working both sides of the aisle and will continue to do so.

ABATE of Wisconsin’s board of directors had some changes also. Some new people coming on board along with some prior members coming back. Again, bringing balance to the board, new voices, ideas and thoughts along with the re-elected members to keep us moving forward towards our goals. Sure, there is a learning curve. How will we fit and work together? For the learning we held our executive training session for board members and officers the weekend of November 10th. We started doing this a couple of years ago. It is really helpful for those just starting out on the board, and a great reminder for those that have been on the board for a few years, as to how things should be handled within the organization.

Along with the training we did some team building and networking, some getting to know each other time. Sharing ideas and thoughts. Maybe exploring directions that we can move this great organization towards that keeps our focus on motorcycle rights, but also moves forward using technology, communication and sharing of ideas, that, of course, will keep us balanced

John