Every now and then, someone will call me inspirational — for rebuilding my life after losing my arm, designing/building my own arm, for getting back on the bike and for being a dad who keeps showing up. One or a combination of those. It’s a kind thing to say, but it’s never sat comfortably with me. In my mind, being an inspiration means taking hardship in your life and turning it into something purposeful. Not just to survive it, but to shape it into something that helps others.
Plenty of people go through hell and just keep going quietly. Some turn their experience into a message that helps others. I feel like I’m standing here somewhere in the middle — still trying to figure out what my own story is worth and what parts of it might actually help someone else.
So when someone calls me inspirational, the discomfort I feel comes from knowing I still have plenty of work to do - that maybe where I’m at hasn't quite matured enough to be of great value to anyone just yet. I’m still in the process of rebuilding my life. I’m still a Dad who is constantly learning. The arm - and honestly, arms - are all ongoing projects. And while my skill levels as a rider and my riding behaviour are on an upward curve, they are still developing, and old habits persist. Hence why I’m heavy on the “I’m not here to preach or teach” when I write because I’m full of imperfections. Even when I reduce the window down to just where I’m at with riding motorcycles.
Originally, my website was meant to showcase the mechanical design work I was doing and what I was capable of in that space - the arm being one of those mechanical design projects. I know I have talked about the shifts in my attitude (toward motorcycle safety) during the design stage of the arm, but it was actually being out there on the road, sharing experiences and rides with the entire spectrum of the motorcycle community that made things click for me. I’d gone through a stage where I’d very nearly fallen back into old (pre-accident) riding habits/behavior, and I participated in a few government-funded motorcycle safety initiatives and supervised learner riders with varying skill levels and attitudes. I started paying attention to motorcycle fatalities in my state and in my country, and soon changed the scope of my website to focus on motorcycling from my perspective, with the aim of encouraging a shift in motorcyclists' attitudes.
I could just swim in my lane and just discuss topics related to riding a motorcycle with a permanent disability, but I’d much rather see other riders avoid a situation anything like mine. As far as what's involved with riding a motorcycle with one arm, I won't have much to write about soon. I’ve just about got this challenge beaten, and I’ll move on to another challenge as an amputee.
Inspirational isn't what I’m aiming for, and I’m not aiming to be a squeaky-clean motorcycle safety ambassador. I guess I’m practising the one thing that I am preaching, and that's to lead by example. Even if that example is still imperfect and still adjusting.
