Originally published in Motorcycles On The Road Again, October 2006.
A Day For Us Carmen
This article is based on opinion. It can contain sarcasm, derision or incongruities. Protective clothing may be necessary when reading.
It is time! No, it is past time. Contemplating the situation, I have decided that absolutely, the time has arrived. With 100% of my being I support this — we, the motorcycle riders of the United States, need, no DE- SERVE a day of recognition, our own holiday if you would.
Hey, go ahead and throw Canada in there too.
Maybe not so much a holiday as a "special" day set aside to appreciate and acknowledge our contribution to the public. It would seem that every race, position or disease has its very own "special" day for acknowledgment, so why not us?
To set aside a day to recognize the motorcyclists is probably one of my best yet inspirations even if I do say so myself! It's about time that we let people know what we do, the money we raise, and the time we invest in our country and our community.
Instead of those sideways glances and crossing to the other side of the street, maybe people will wave and smile!
Of course, it is also just a teensy weensy tiny bit selfish because, while the news media is proclaiming our greatness on every channel, we get to celebrate (but that is beside the point). The goal, mainly, is to get out to the world the motorcyclists accomplishments so that they may become aware of what riders are involved in and be thrilled about us rather than fear us.
I am only asking for a day, one measly day. Shelter Dogs get a whole month, as do Allergy/Asthma and Alcohol Awareness. Anti-Boredom, Arthritis, Ancestor Honor, Ancestor Appreciation (yes, two Different Days!) , Morning Radio Wise Guy Day (!) , Mole Day and Auto Battery Safety all get a day. (l found it interesting that Bachelors' Day is only celebrated in leap years on 2/29, any who…) Some things get a whole week. I just want a day, one day, to honor the efforts and contributions of the motorcyclist.
And there are many contributions. I cannot even begin to count the number of organizations who turn to us when they need charity, donations, and assistance in some way for their group. And we don't begrudge them; we help them whenever we can. We get involved; sign up, saddle up, and do whatever it takes.
Why? Because we are a caring and generous folk.
0k, for a list of "official" reasons for our special day of tribute. The first is that as motorcyclists we conserve energy. That alone, in this day of three-buck gas, should be a good reason. Number two, our support in raising money for any number of charitable organizations (disease prevention organization, homeless, orphaned animals, etc.) and to also to individuals in need of assistance beyond that offered elsewhere. Three, our simple ability to survive the traffic and lastly, dogs, moles, cats and most animals located in the zoo have a day — why shouldn't we biker animals have a day too?
So I thought I WOUld start small. I sent a request to the Mayor's office to apply for consideration of our "special day". To their credit, I did receive a response from Debra in the Mayor's Proclamation Office. She informed me that I WOUld need to write three paragraphs regarding why the recognition Should be made for the specific group of people and to have it in to the proclamation office of the mayor at least three weeks prior to the "event". This information would then be reviewed by the department to determine if we meet the guidelines for the proc- Iamation. (NOTE: I wasn't told what the guidelines are so that I could be positive they were met.)
I didn't want an "event" – I wanted a day, the whole entire stinking day and I wanted it to be an annual event! Debra said they WOUld notify me when I could pick up the proclamation if all the information I provided was sufficient to obtain the declaration. What can I say, I was Verklempt ([ver-KLEMPTl adj. Sad; choked-up; too emotional to talk; overwhelmed; misty-eyed; distressed.)
I can picture it clearly … the public becoming aware of magnitude of the humble biker's significance! There would, of course, be parades, absolutely (l won't be riding in it though because I will be sleeping in — it is my day off after all). There will be coverage on all the major news channels, maybe a special on PBS with interviews; discounts at restaurants, movie theatres, etc. Any place you ride a motorcycle to will have specials just for riders. There will be banners hanging at the capital declaring our "fabulousness".
Envision people stopping us on the street and shaking our hand and saying "Thank you for all you do" and riding up to a place and everyone there rises to their feet and applauds as they see us climb off the bike. We humbly smile and wave … okay maybe not so humbly.
Wait – Hold on! Maybe we should start smaller than small — teeny-tiny. Isn't that how many great celebrations begin? I tell two people, you tell two people, they tell two people
So, l, Carmen, do hereby name, Is that say, ummm, October 6th good for you? Works for me and it would mean a long weekend (Yeah, let's make it always the first Friday in October that way we always get a long weekend) … as Motorcycle En-
In honor of this holiday, those of us who own a motorcycle shall be freed from all responsibility and off work for the entire day. It shall not count against our PTO (Paid Time Off) if applicable as this is a sacred and emotional time for us bikertypes. The day shall stand as a tribute to the dedication we give our country, an acknowledgment of the perseverance and loyalty we have and to show respect to us for our many contributions.
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