In her mid-50s, Linda Crill lost her beloved husband, Bill, to cancer. In the ensuing period she followed the advice of friends to take good care of herself in terms of rest, diet and exercise, but two years after Bill’s death Crill felt that on a personal level she was at a standstill, unable to feel a sense of engagement with her life.
As a professional business consultant and facilitator, Crill was accustomed to making decisions and achieving goals. Frustrated with her continued misery and feeling the need to do something radical, Crill impulsively told her brother-in-law—without real intention—that she was going to learn to ride a motorcycle.
“When we have a loss,” Crill said, “we lose confidence in ourselves and in life, and everyone says we should pamper ourselves. No one tells you to go out and challenge yourself and discover how strong you are. I was ready for a drama of my own creation.”
A month later, Crill did, indeed, take motorcycle-riding lessons. Not only that—though filled with self-doubt, she made a commitment to go on a 2,500-mile road trip on a Harley-Davidson just three weeks later, with a friend and two other riders.
First road trip
Crill flew from her home near Washington, D.C., to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she met the rest of her group and rented a Harley. They immediately embarked on their trip, first ferrying to Victoria on Vancouver Island, then heading down the Oregon coast to California’s wine country. Crill said that for the length of the trip, she rode with fear on one shoulder and excitement on the other.
“I think that any time a person goes on a road trip, there’s a desire for adventure and change,” said Crill. “I think ignorance is bliss, though—if I’d known what was in store for me I may not have had the courage to begin.”
Blind Curves—One Woman’s Unusual Journey to Reinvent Herself and Answer: What Now?, published by Opus INTL and released in March 2013, is the book Crill wrote as a result of that first road trip.
Reinvention
“I think everybody at some point asks, ‘What now? How do I move forward?’ ” Crill said. “When we experience any major loss we need time to pull back, but when it’s time to move forward, how do we do that? That’s the book I wanted to write, and it’s written through a beginner’s eyes.”
Crill thought that the audience for her book would be almost exclusively female, but it turns out that men are enjoying the book, too, because they identify with her story.
“We’ve all dropped our bikes,” she said. “We’ve all dealt with fear. You push yourself and your bike through weather and wind and many unexpected situations. Failure is a part of any learning process. That’s something both men and women can relate to, whether they ride a motorcycle or not, and no matter what their age.
“This trip opened my eyes to a new way of being and became the catalyst for recreating my life. On this trip, I discovered how strong I am.”
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