{"id":11332,"date":"2026-04-24T06:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T10:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/?post_type=moa_podcasts&#038;p=11332"},"modified":"2026-04-22T14:54:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:54:06","slug":"nothing-to-do","status":"publish","type":"moa_podcasts","link":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/moa_podcasts\/nothing-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Nothing to do (TRI)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"11332\" class=\"elementor elementor-11332\" data-elementor-post-type=\"moa_podcasts\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b11f0ff e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"b11f0ff\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4378f8da elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4378f8da\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<p>We all long for those open days with nothing standing between us and an extended outing on our beloved motorcycles. No plans or obligations, a pleasant weather forecast, machinery in good working order, and no shortage of route options. The imagery is idyllic, and often the realization is as good or better than the anticipation. Then again, to paraphrase Robert Burns, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry\u2026<\/p>\n\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-6785 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-tight-300x281.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"234\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-6785 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-tight-300x281.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-tight-300x281.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-tight-1024x960.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-tight-768x720.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-tight-1536x1440.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-tight.jpg 1778w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/noscript>Actually, what I\u2019m referring to here isn\u2019t the fate of our best laid plans, but rather the perfectly expectable outcome of less than adequate planning. We can mistake the imagined ride, pictured quite vividly but in only vague abstractions, for something more concrete and well-thought-out. When the time comes to make it happen, we find gaping holes in our preparations. We may have failed to coordinate with riding buddies and then find they\u2019re unable to join on short notice. Or maybe we didn\u2019t settle on a route, only to find choosing one next to impossible as we\u2019re about to leave (similar to the \u201canalysis paralysis\u201d that can set in when trying to select a movie from the countless possibilities on our streaming services\u2014by the time we make a decision, it\u2019s too late to watch it). There are lots of ways we can end up with a whopping disappointment where we had expected jubilation. Here I\u2019ll examine one of the confounding factors that may be involved.<\/p>\n\n<p><iframe class=\"lazyload\" style=\"border: none;\" title=\"Embed Player\" data-src=\"https:\/\/play.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/40645605\/height\/192\/theme\/modern\/size\/large\/thumbnail\/yes\/custom-color\/f2cb9f\/time-start\/00:00:00\/hide-playlist\/yes\/download\/yes\/font-color\/000000\" width=\"100%\" height=\"192\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n<p>While \u201chaving nothing to do\u201d presumably means we can do whatever else we choose, it can also be an end in itself. In other words, what we want is the freedom to truly <em>do nothing<\/em>. Life can be so packed with demands for performance, productivity and efficiency that we desperately need a break from anything of the sort. Planning, even for something we enjoy and desire, can feel like one more burdensome chore. We want two things that are apt to be mutually exclusive: liberation from any structure that impedes our moment-to-moment autonomy <em>and<\/em> experiences that must be structured if they\u2019re going to happen as we wish. If I spend my week accommodating other people\u2019s schedules at work and at home, I don\u2019t want to have to do more of the same on a weekend ride. Therefore, I don\u2019t commit myself to checking with potential ride partners to see who\u2019s available at which times so we can nail something down in our respective calendars. I don\u2019t want to have to hustle to meet any more deadlines or arrange my day around yet another fixed agenda, but by avoiding these hassles I\u2019m almost certainly ruining my chances of having the companionship I\u2019d like my ride to include. I may well succeed in having nothing to do, or at least no one to do it with, on my wide open\u2014now perhaps <em>too<\/em> empty\u2014day.<\/p>\n\n<p>Let\u2019s say I\u2019d rather ride alone and coordinating with others isn\u2019t the issue. I still want to savor my autonomy on this day I cleared out for riding. I worked hard to get all other requirements taken care of in advance so there\u2019s nothing hanging over my head. My bike and gear were set up for departure the night before. I\u2019m completely cleared for takeoff. Then, as part of my determination to spend the day as I damn well please, I defiantly exercise my free will by sleeping late. My excitement about hitting the road early apparently wasn\u2019t as strong as my need for a morning without the obnoxious prodding of my alarm clock. Now that I\u2019m getting a tardy start, I have to jettison some of my route options. No problem, there are still plenty of good ones. Then I recall I heard something about a road closure that might be relevant to my choice. I look online to see what information about this I can find, but the facts remain unclear. In my wandering search, I get distracted by my news feed and then a sale announcement from my local dealership. Hmmm\u2026 maybe I\u2019ll stop there on my way out of town; no, that would eat up more saddle time. On one hand, I\u2019m relishing the ability to follow whatever whim occurs to me in the moment. This is the antithesis of so much of daily life, characterized by the relentless requirement to keep hustling from one preset task to another. Even when I enjoy\u2014and may have even chosen\u2014those activities, the clock-forced transitions are jarringly out of sync with my immediate preferences; I want to stick with this longer or begin the next thing sooner! Being able to dawdle and dither is a welcome change of pace, but then on the other hand I notice another hour has passed and my precious ride keeps shrinking. Eventually, I might question whether it\u2019s worth going out at all if I\u2019ll have to hurry back home after just a short loop. So much for my big day to ride\u2014I\u2019ve instead done <em>nothing<\/em>! But that may have been my unconscious goal all along.<\/p>\n\n<p>Given the strictures of our routine existence, riding time is typically a treasured commodity. The rarer our opportunities, the more critically important it is to extract maximum gratification from each one of them. Riding can begin to feel as pressured as the rest of the week\u2014or worse, the <em>weeks, <\/em>plural, that have passed since our last outing. Such pressure can become counterproductive as we try to squeeze too much into a ride, or expect too much out of it and then feel let down. When a chance to ride comes along, we\u2019re compelled to \u201cstrike while the iron is hot,\u201d regardless of whether we\u2019ve made the necessary preparations. An impulsive escape might represent exhilarating spontaneity, but it could instead feel perfunctory and compulsory, just as forced as all the stuff we want to leave behind. Perhaps the storms forecast for Sunday veer away at the last minute and a day we\u2019d expected to spend catching up on cleaning and paperwork is suddenly open for a much more enticing ride. Do we go, taking joyous advantage of this serendipity, or do we refrain, expecting such a ride to be plagued by the guilt of irresponsibility or the dread of tackling an even longer to-do list once we get back? When we return, are we refreshed and better able to take up those challenges, or is re-entry even more onerous?<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11304 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-motorcycle-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" class=\"wp-image-11304 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-motorcycle-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-motorcycle-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-motorcycle-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-motorcycle-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-motorcycle.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n<p>Whether it\u2019s a day we deliberately reserved for riding, or a free-time windfall that catches us by surprise, a lack of purpose and direction can subtract from the fulfillment we seek from motorcycling. Yet at the same time, this \u201cbug\u201d can also be a \u201cfeature\u201d if we\u2019re already exhausted by all the \u201cpurpose\u201d and \u201cdirection\u201d saturating the rest of our daily lives. Maybe we\u2019d do best to just leave home with no aim in mind, except to wander the countryside <em>aimlessly<\/em>. But if we don\u2019t get to ride much, that can feel like an unsatisfying use of what little saddle time we have. The dilemma is \u201cquality time\u201d can\u2019t actually replace \u201cquantity time\u201d any more than we can eat enough one day to skip eating for the next month. Not every ride will be glorious, even if we get out so seldom that anything less leaves us feeling cheated\u2014or perhaps frantically worried we\u2019re wasting time while the clock ticks away.<\/p>\n\n<p>With all the stress and drivenness of modern life, we need rest and relaxation along with recreation. Motorcycling, in all its various forms, can sometimes provide an element of passive recuperation, but this is not the same as recreation\u2014a term I\u2019m using to denote a more active, adventurous type of endeavor. I don\u2019t mean something has to be strenuous or daring to count as recreation, but in my mind it does have to include some type of initiative, not merely a reprieve from externally imposed demands. People can blur these categories together and miss this distinction. Rest and relaxation are required in the context of <em>both<\/em> work <em>and<\/em> play. This is the normal cycle of exertion and recovery, whether we\u2019re in the process of satisfying obligations or having fun. When we\u2019re burned out by a lack of sufficient downtime, we typically prioritize this basic necessity over alternatives that would otherwise hold more appeal, though we\u2019re not necessarily clear about this. Going for a ride can be extremely pleasurable, but that doesn\u2019t mean we automatically have the energy for it. When we\u2019re depleted from slogging through myriad stressful activities, we can have a stronger need to rest than to chase excitement. In fact, we can lose our taste for anything that requires mustering initiative. No matter how much we love pizza, we\u2019ll find it nauseating after eating nothing else for days on end.<\/p>\n\n<p>In order to have the energy to enjoy recreation, we may first need a period of rest. Hence, we might find ourselves unable to scrape together the wherewithal to plan a ride when we notice a day opening up on the horizon. We think about it, maybe envision aspects that would be nice, but we don\u2019t lift a finger to ensure it will happen. Or, when the day arrives, we drag our feet, get distracted, and end up letting the opportunity slip away. This doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re \u201cbad\u201d motorcyclists! It isn\u2019t evidence of a lack of interest or investment, at least not in <em>absolute<\/em> terms. It could, however, represent a <em>relative<\/em> lack of enthusiasm compared to our even greater need for rest and refuge from chronic pressures to perform. Yes, motorcycling offers a wonderful escape from exactly those routine stressors, but we still must have enough vigor to make use of it; riding involves deliberate effort and focused engagement.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11302 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-boredom-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" class=\"wp-image-11302 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-boredom-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-boredom-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-boredom-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-boredom-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-boredom-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/barnes-boredom.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n<p>Depression is frequently characterized by a lack of both energy and interest, mimicking the kind of depletion I\u2019ve been describing. Whereas depression can feature a powerful urge to retreat from activities and relationships, it isn\u2019t remedied by simple rest and relaxation. Depressed people can think they just need to take a break, but something more is required for them to regain their vitality (what\u2019s needed varies widely across different individuals). People who really do need to take a break can think they\u2019re depressed. This interferes with their ability to accurately assess what\u2019s wrong and what\u2019s needed. They may, for example, be exhausted by anxiety-fueled compulsivity. They might be terribly afraid of what will happen if they don\u2019t keep juggling all the balls they currently have in the air. In this context, the idea of resting just provokes more fear and can\u2019t be seriously considered. They\u2019re apt to construe their emotional distress as \u201cjust depression,\u201d something best dismissed as a dangerous self-indulgence, with any passivity viewed as a slippery slope into permanent, perilous inertia.<\/p>\n\n<p>Aside from clinical conditions that may require professional help, the episodic depletion inherent in an overly busy lifestyle is a formidable challenge in its own right, yet many people aren\u2019t clearly aware of its causes and therefore can\u2019t orient to possible solutions. It may seem obvious that a lack of drive indicates a need for rest\u2014more accurately, <em>restoration<\/em>\u2014but consider the examples I gave earlier of trouble launching a much-anticipated ride. Those difficulties could be mistakenly chalked up to laziness, disorganization, distractibility, lack of foresight, oppositionality or some other cognitive shortcoming or character flaw. Of course, factors like these may be relevant in a given case, but the role of chronic stress and its associated fatigue should be considered, too. Because we\u2019re continuously immersed in pressures to be productive, we can grow numb to this context for our behaviors, even as we also develop a craving for the opposite\u2014doing nothing. This is different from the desire for an empty square on the calendar, a space we can fill with exciting recreational pursuits. It is instead a manifestation of overwhelm, which is definitely <em>not<\/em> fixed by adding more stimulation.<\/p>\n\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><!-- wp:image {\"id\":6982} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6982 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MOA-Foundation-Logo-banner.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"135\" class=\"wp-image-6982 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MOA-Foundation-Logo-banner.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MOA-Foundation-Logo-banner.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MOA-Foundation-Logo-banner-300x34.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MOA-Foundation-Logo-banner-1024x115.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MOA-Foundation-Logo-banner-768x86.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><!-- \/wp:image --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><em>The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes<\/em> is brought to you by the <a href=\"https:\/\/bmwmoaf.org\/fundraising\/safemiles-endowment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MOA Foundation<\/a>. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmwmoa.org\/page\/membertypes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">join the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America<\/a> quickly and easily to better take advantage of the Paul B. Grant and Clark Luster training reimbursement programs offered by the Foundation.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<hr \/><!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all long for those open days with nothing standing between us and an extended outing on our beloved motorcycles. No plans or obligations, a pleasant weather forecast, machinery in good working order, and no shortage of route options. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":11302,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"podcast":[81],"class_list":["post-11332","moa_podcasts","type-moa_podcasts","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","podcast-the-ride-inside"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moa_podcasts\/11332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moa_podcasts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/moa_podcasts"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moa_podcasts\/11332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12024,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moa_podcasts\/11332\/revisions\/12024"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"podcast","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast?post=11332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}