Moving from the desert of Phoenix to the dampness of Seattle has brought with it the need for all kinds of adjustments for me and for my machines. The Big Kawi is EFI so that has not been a problem but the KLR and the Harley are both carburated and they have become a bit cranky in the rain.
The KLR is my daily commuter (lighter and zippier in traffic) and the other day it started idling high; it jumped from 1300-1500 RPM up to 1800- 2000 RPM which is not horrible but certainly enough to get your attention. The good news is that this moderate jump can be handled with the idle adjustment screw: just turn it until it gets rough, back it off about a 1/4 turn, and then she settles right in. Whew! When I first moved up here I had some concerns about needing to re-jet the bikes, but looks like I will be OK with far less serious adjustments.
As I was adjusting the idle screw my mind started wandering, as it is wont to do, and I began to masticate on the word "idle" which has all sorts of negative connotations in our American society. Remember grandma's words: "Idle hands are the devils workshop!" We just don't do "idle" in America because we think of it as a bad thing since it is non-productive.
And that is precisely what got me to thinking. When the motorcycle is idling it is not "non-productive" but rather "pre-productive". The energy contained within the machine is simply waiting in a state of preparedness for the opportunity to be activated. And that is often true of us humans as well.
Now and then parishoners will come into my office and find me just staring out the window. I remember once in particular when a very successful entrepreneur came in, saw me and asked what I was doing; I responded: "Thinking." I wish I could have captured the look on his face for it was a mask of utter confusion. In America you don't think, you just do! His pledge the next year reflected his disdain for a thinking pastor ...
But the truth is that when I am thinking I am not idle, but idling, getting prepared for action. Sermons, reflections, or teaching material for classes are not simply plucked from a tree but are the result of well ... thinking! The same is true in any industry - you must have "idle time" to prepare for action/production; time during which the motor is running, fluids are circulating, and one is in that state of pre-production.
Idle hands may sometimes be the devils workshop, but they can also be angels wings, taking us to new heights.
The KLR is my daily commuter (lighter and zippier in traffic) and the other day it started idling high; it jumped from 1300-1500 RPM up to 1800- 2000 RPM which is not horrible but certainly enough to get your attention. The good news is that this moderate jump can be handled with the idle adjustment screw: just turn it until it gets rough, back it off about a 1/4 turn, and then she settles right in. Whew! When I first moved up here I had some concerns about needing to re-jet the bikes, but looks like I will be OK with far less serious adjustments.
As I was adjusting the idle screw my mind started wandering, as it is wont to do, and I began to masticate on the word "idle" which has all sorts of negative connotations in our American society. Remember grandma's words: "Idle hands are the devils workshop!" We just don't do "idle" in America because we think of it as a bad thing since it is non-productive.
And that is precisely what got me to thinking. When the motorcycle is idling it is not "non-productive" but rather "pre-productive". The energy contained within the machine is simply waiting in a state of preparedness for the opportunity to be activated. And that is often true of us humans as well.
Now and then parishoners will come into my office and find me just staring out the window. I remember once in particular when a very successful entrepreneur came in, saw me and asked what I was doing; I responded: "Thinking." I wish I could have captured the look on his face for it was a mask of utter confusion. In America you don't think, you just do! His pledge the next year reflected his disdain for a thinking pastor ...
But the truth is that when I am thinking I am not idle, but idling, getting prepared for action. Sermons, reflections, or teaching material for classes are not simply plucked from a tree but are the result of well ... thinking! The same is true in any industry - you must have "idle time" to prepare for action/production; time during which the motor is running, fluids are circulating, and one is in that state of pre-production.
Idle hands may sometimes be the devils workshop, but they can also be angels wings, taking us to new heights.
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