The Tao of Bimbling

 

The word "Bimble" is an informal verb of British origin and "Bimbling" is the present participle (whatever one of those is!). It means "to walk or travel at a leisurely pace" and probably derived in the 1980s from the word "bumble" which means "to move or act in an awkward or confused manner". 

The act of bimbling is ideal for adventure motorcycling which has been defined by some as "a thrilling combination of dirt bike riding, motorcycle camping, and motorcycle touring — all of which share one important characteristic: the thrill of overcoming adverse situations". Bimbling is simply doing all of that but at a slow pace and usually in a disorganised way. It is the antithesis of highly organised, testosterone fuelled, time critical adventures. That's not to say those sort of adventures aren't valid or should be avoided, they're just not the Toa of Bimbling.

But what is the Toa of Bimbling....I hear myself ask! It's something that every lone, long-distance adventure rider has ample opportunity to think about during those long hours on a motorbike. It is expertly summed up by Lao-Tsu the mystic philosopher of ancient China who had no idea what a motorbike is, but he did say:-

“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.
The named is the mother of ten thousand things.
Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.
Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations.
These two spring from the same source but differ in name;
this appears as darkness.
Darkness within darkness.
The gate to all mystery.”

.....I bet that will get you thinking the next time you have a boring 300 kilometres of dual-carriageway ahead of you !!