Freedom.

Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in her 20s before rescuing her family and some 70 or so others from bondage via the Underground Railroad in the 1850s and early 1860s. I learned about Ms. Tubman one February in 2nd grade when we studied famous African Americans. I was inspired by her courage and service then and it stayed with me. I celebrate this modern-day Moses for doing what most of us can only dream of: securing our own freedom and then helping to lead others to theirs. Truly, singularly awesome.

Please let me digress for just a moment… I rode a 1978 Yamaha 650 in the 90s. My wife and I were in our 20s, poor, and could only afford one car so I bought the bike for $500 cash and rode it year around for several years. As our family and careers grew, it didn’t seem to make sense to keep it. Eventually, we had two four-wheel vehicles, and I admit that it just didn’t seem as safe for a young father to ride a motorcycle around town when I didn’t have to. I gave it away to a couple of 20-something young men in the neighborhood where we lived at the time and that was that. I thought about that bike, and riding, every spring and summer that came and went since. With the kids much older now and me yearning for new ways to discover and learn – and with my wife’s support and approval – I recently decided it was time to buy another bike. Time again to ride.

Meet Harriet.

Gotcha date = July 27, 2024.

 It's been years since I last rode, so I wanted to find a bike that I started calling a “restarter” bike. Not too big, not too small. Not too fast, but also not too slow. I didn’t want a scooter but certainly didn’t want a Gold Wing, either. I wanted something right in the middle that I could ride back and forth to work, which is about 20 miles from the house through Chicagoland, a one-hour commute in the concrete jungle of suburban and urban life. I did a lot of research and had a series of bikes in mind, both old and new. I checked out several shops in town before finding the right shop and the right bike. The minute I saw Harriet, I knew she was the right bike for me; the perfect commuter bike with plenty of personality.

Now, I won’t pretend that my privileged life with first-world problems resembles in any way, shape, or form that of Ms. Tubman’s. My goodness, no. Without needing to compete with her, or anyone else, for grief, turmoil, and challenges – for she and many others would win if I did – I will share that this bike has led me to a sense of freedom I didn’t know was missing. This mid-sized 500 cc Harley-Davidson bike has granted my soul freedom from sitting behind a desk, being lost in the noise of the world and bound by the shackles of adult stress and anxiety. So, I named her Harriet. Harriet the Harley. And she’s led me to freedom. No kidding. Seriously. Freedom.

Harriet Tubman was once quoted as saying, “I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say – I never ran my train off the track, and I never lost a passenger." I think of her often when I’m riding home from a long day at work. In the spirit of that great woman, I’m conducting my own railroad, along my own path, my own way. I’m staying on the track, Harriet, and am doing all I can to not lose myself, or any other passenger, along the way.