Sunday, June 9, presented many choices of things to do and places to be. After all, it was Gay Pride weekend in DC. It was also the date when…

…I had these competing choices:

• ride my Harley in the annual police-escorted charity fundraiser;
• attend the Pride festival in downtown DC;
• meet up (not down or sideways) with some buddies from the Fire House for brunch;
• ride my Harley on an organized ride with my former motorcycle riding club;
• attend a picnic/graduation party for a Great Niece at a state park in far Northern Maryland;
• stay home and finish constructing the most complicated “Ikea build” for a piece of furniture for the Spouse;
• take more LOLITS grocery shopping.

and probably more.

What did I do?

I managed to do four of these things:

• worked with Spouse on the Ikea project for two hours early in the morning. Didn’t finish, but made substantial progress;
• took 3 LOLITS grocery shopping;
• “met up” with my Fire buds where they were having a late breakfast, but just had something to drink and visit for a little while;
• drive up North to my Great Niece’s graduation party and enjoy several hours of close family time.

That is really where my heart wanted me to be. I love my family and don’t get to see them as much as I would like.

I could have combined my passion for motorcycling to get to the graduation party, but the weather was damp and had on-and-off rain, so I drove my SUV instead. The Harley remained dry and lonely in the back of the garage.

However, I have to admit, I would have made the same choice for my transportation anyway, even if the weather were sunny and dry. After checking the suggested route to the state park where my Great Niece’s party was held, I would not have chosen to ride my Harley to get there.

Most of the route was high-speed interstate highway where everyone drives like a bat-out-of-hell and makes me nervous being honked at as speeders driving way over the posted speed limit whoosh by. I hate that, so if I can not ride on back roads that are less frantic, I drive in a cage where I feel safer.

Yes, I had a pride weekend — pride of my own choosing with family, friends, and The Spouse.

Life is short: be proud of the man you choose to be every day.