Things I have learned: My snowmobile Mamas

By Bill D. Ward

Today’s Wisdom: “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Helen Keller

I recently had an opportunity to sit down among a group of about 10 ladies. Each was well into what one would consider “grandma” age, some even “great grandma.” The casual image from a passerby would be that of a group of genteel, Christian women pleasantly enjoying coffee and cookies together.

Riding snowmobile is a common winter activity in the midwest. Stock image

Well, that was all true enough, but their topic surprised me. It turns out most were avid snowmobilers in their earlier days. The discussion was complete with stories of backwoods excursions, falling through the ice, accidents, hitting fences, broken machines, and cold. The image in my head as the stories unfolded didn’t fit the picture of these ladies in my eye. I knew them as mature ladies, now I had to intermingle images of snowmobile mamas, beasts on a machine, daredevils and backwoods adventurers. Who knows, there might have even been a tattoo or five among them.

One of the things I have learned in life is that we are not always the image we project. Everyone has multiple elements to their lives and personalities. These ladies were having a great time recalling and sharing the memories. That tells me the person who was that adventurer back so many years ago is still in each of them somewhere, riding along through life as a welcome companion. It is fun to find and bring out those other characters from each of them, and from everyone else we know in life.

Each of these gals had successful lives in their own right, and I suppose the spunk and character that put them on a machine was a part of the personality that led to a good life.

I am now just reading a good book about the old days when it was men’s duty to protect our ladies from all things trying, traumatic or exciting. It was thought they just didn’t have the constitution for it. Poppycock! I wish my mother could have joined the group. She and her Arctic Cat would have fit right in. Thank goodness we have ladies with a spirit of adventure among us. I’m just sayin.’