Motorcycles, Men & Midlife

Growing up, I fantasized about what being a boy would be like, but what I really wanted was the freedom my brother had.

• I wanted to explore the deep woods on a camping trip.
• I wanted to run off to softball practice before doing my chores.
• I wanted to dive into the murky water of the gravel pit near my house.

But my mother was a disciplinarian and I was a girl. So I really never challenged myself physically and grew up with an aborted spontaneity.

And so when a spouse broaches the subject of buying a motorcycle, I think women often respond automatically as their mother would have. "Motorcycles are dangerous; they're frivolous."

But Lisa Wynn agreed that taking chances at midlife might be what her husband needed. When he bought a black Honda VTX 1300, he couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

"It's funny what you experience when you let someone else take you away to their private joy, to their own slice of heaven, and not insist on always being in control of your own pastimes, your own comfort zones, your own daily grind," Wynn writes.

I want to eat pork rinds, drink milk out of the carton, and watch eight consecutive hours of The World Poker Tournament. I'm tired of being responsible. I think most women would agree.

Becoming a biker babe may have to wait though. My husband hasn't asked to buy a motorcycle...yet.