INTELLECTUAL

“There are so many clubs and organizations across Canada as well as meet-ups, events, rallies and rides. Even if you’re the only person in your circle who rides a motorcycle, it doesn’t matter – you can find people from all walks of life who perhaps share nothing in common with you other than the love of the sport.”

You can also find groups of likeminded folks to join. A simple Google search calls up countless clubs drawn together by shared interests, religions and causes, examples of which include Soldiers for Jesus; WindSisters, a women-only club; and BADD (Bikers Against Drunk Driving). Whether you’re part of a group or not, rides for charity abound. Often complete with live music, food, draws and silent auctions, hundreds are slated to take place across Canada this summer. Canadian Women’s Ride Day in Victoria raises funds for women in need; Sikh Riders of Canada recently rode in support of the fire victims of Fort McMurray; and the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is a massive fundraiser for prostate cancer research that takes place in more than 450 cities in 85 countries every year. Last September, I walked over to Town Moto in Toronto to check it out. There, hundreds of bikes and their owners, all of whom had traded in their leathers for dapper attire, lined Ossington Street.

“This type of ride always makes me feel part of something bigger,” one fellow told me. “I feel connected to the stranger who might be riding beside me as well as to those riding halfway across the world.”

I need to keep at this, I vowed to myself. Kickstand up next summer.

As a writer, I like to think my job keeps me sharp but, as Beck points out, connections are more strongly created when doing something novel. And with the massive changes that continue to take place in the world of journalism these days, for this traditional freelance wordsmith, trying something new is more than a lark, it’s mandatory.

My intellectual endeavour began then with an honest assessment of my website and the social media accounts I’ve held for the past several years. They’re okay, I was told by a professional consultant, but you clearly view them as a sidekick to your business. Ouch. But, alas, fair enough. And so, I hired the services of Creative Solutions Consulting, a Toronto-based boutique digital marketing company to build and help me launch and market a new website. The result, becjager.com, houses my published work as well as stories that won’t necessarily see the light of day in print. Initially, my eyes glazed over as I read through my new to-do list – manage the new content management system as well as a social management system that supports the integration of social networking services; aggressively grow my professional online networks; seek out and develop even more strategic partnerships …

But I just want to write stories, I mentally whined.

Then again, I want to eat.

Although I am still in the early phases of this new initiative, depending on what day – or time of day – you talk to me, I am either afraid of, pissed off at or thrilled by the whole thing. Sometimes I fear it is all for naught; sometimes I am angry the world shifted as I was about to rest on my laurels; and other times I am deeply pleased with the results. No, my phone isn’t ringing off the hook – but, hey, phones don’t ring anymore, don’t ya know. Instead, a ding alerts me when someone wants to engage.

In all of this, there is one indisputable reward. My favourite project that I am working on these days and appears on becjager.com is Girls’ Flight Out, a video-plus-written-word series that captures the camaraderie and adventure of women’s getaways. Every month, I meet up with my videographer at some fabulous destination to snorkel in the Caribbean, say, or horseback ride at a dude ranch in Colorado. My camera girl just happens to be my aforementioned daughter, Samantha. So, although she lives in Brooklyn and I live in Toronto, we get to play together, stay together, work together, enjoy perks together, collaborate, celebrate and most importantly … talk.

As connections go, it doesn’t get any better than that.