Following my son’s graduation from High School in 1983 I purchased a used 1100cc Yamaha and a 500cc, water cooled, shaft drive Honda. The Yamaha was bigger, but older and ugly. The Honda was newer and much better looking. The Honda was road ready except for worn out tires but the Yamaha was a different story.
The Yamaha had been setting outside for several months in rainy southernOregonand needed some corrective actions on the parts affected by the moisture. The motor and transmission were sound mechanically, but there were a number of little things that needed attention.
“Chris, would you come and help me? I can’t seem to get my wrist to twist into the right position to get to the bolt in the far end of the fairing. If I can’t get it out then I can’t get to the connection for the headlight which keeps giving us trouble.”
“OK dad. Can you wait until I finish washing my car?”
“Yes, but come before you dry it!”
With his help the fairing came off, but I didn’t have enough strength in my hands to pull the connections apart. It had obviously not been taken apart for a long time.
“Before you go back to your car can you pull these connections apart for me?” He easily pulled them apart and was kind not to make fun of my lack of strength.
All the pins and receptacles were badly in need of a good cleaning. Careful work with a fine wire brush did wonders. When connected again, the electrical system performed as it should.
I purchased the motorcycles to take a memory building trip from the northern border ofOregondown the coast toMexico. By the time the motorcycles were being prepared for our trip the effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis, or RA, had affected both the dexterity and strength in my hands. My fingers would not fully extend and were deformed enough that the range of motion was limited. To spin a nut from a bolt took twice the spins. To open a pair of pliers wide enough to grip a large bolt or nut often took two hands because my fingers and thumb would not separate wide enough accommodate more that a half inch diameter. Vice grips pliers were a frequent necessity to apply and hold enough pressure. Even sorting through a collection of bolts and nuts for a replacement I needed took more time than I thought it should because I had difficulty picking up what I needed, especially when it was at the bottom of the box. Still I enjoyed doing something different than my career asked of me.
Asking for help has never been easy for me. I wanted to do things myself. I enjoyed learning how to do something and it made me feel good to do it myself.
I always knew when I needed help, but I really wanted to do it myself and asking for help was like taking a bitter pill.
Learning how to use Social Media to do real estate means I have to ask for help. Another bitter pill, but I must continue if I am going to help people who use the internet find a home here is Nampa, Idaho which is also known as the Treasure Valley.
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