Two-X Moto

Have you ever heard the term "Don't meet your honey where you make your money?" I have observed that some people claim that opposites attract, or that couples who share the same hobbies are more compatible. I lean more towards the latter. My husband and I share a lot of the same hobbies, even though we both have strong opinions, but through our hobbies our relationship has grown stronger.

 

One of these hobbies, as you may have already guessed, is restoring vintage motorcycles. My husband has such enthusiasm when it comes to learning new things and especially when it comes to teaching others about that new knowledge. I have a very similar personallity when it comes to striving to learn things from my relationships--I guess you could say we take advantage of each others different interests.

 

Gary W. Lewandowski Jr., a professor at Monmouth University in New Jersey, has studied how individuals use a relationship to accumulate knowledge and experiences, a process called “self-expansion.” Research shows that the more self-expansion people experience from their partner, the more committed and satisfied they are in the relationship. Dr. Lewandowski, in a survey asked couples: How much has being with your partner resulted in your learning new things? How much has knowing your partner made you a better person? Comparing myself and my husband as individuals with individual interests, I have noticed how much our individual hobbies and interests have merged together. I have learned many things from my husband and his interests, and he has picked up many new hobbies as well that I have influenced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having these common interests has helped us figure out what to do after work other than sitting on the couch watchingNetflix. This has helped us get out more often and enjoy just doing simple things. We often take motorcycle rides up canyons and just park and relax. According to Teri Conrad, who wrote the article "Marriage and Motorcycles", For many motorcycling couples, having a shared passion for riding can help create an inseparable bond. In fact, some couples say that riding motorcycles together helps make their relationship stronger, because it’s something both enjoy and they are able to do it together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We recently took a long trip with our dog out to Telluride, Colorado on our Harley. Long rides are hard, but luckily we have communicators in our helmet so we get long conversations without disruptions. One of our favorite things is to ride downtown for late night pizza, and sometimes we even bring the dog.  

 

 

The results of sharing interests and being generally involved in your partners hobbies strengthen relationships. Dr. Lewandowski says. “If your partner is helping you become a better person, you become happier and more satisfied in the relationship.” Being an independent woman, and never wanting to rely on someone else, I prefer riding my own motorcycle. My husband often argues and would rather me to ride on back to ease his worried thoughts that something might happen to me otherwise. But whether you prefer to ride on back and take some photos and enjoy the view, or to ride in front and lead the way--it will be worth it in the end. 

 

We have a really good friend that shares the same opinion on this matter. He describes his relationship with his wife and his bike perfectly:

 

 

"I believe riding motorcycles with friends and a spouse is a great way to strengthen a relationship. I have always believed that getting through rough things, experiencing problems together and learning together is a much more realistic and valuable way to strengthen a relationship than simply doing something simple and easy (ie: dinner, movie, bowling, etc...) Riding on a spouses motorcycle tests a lot of key characteristics of a relationship, that may not come up on a typical day. You are immediately forced into a situation where you have to trust someone with your life more than you would if you were in a car, be able to communicate effectively and lovingly and still have fun and be happy because after all, you are riding on a motorcycle. Many things can go wrong when riding a motorcycle and your ability to work together to get through these things can prove to be a great way to have fun and grown together as a couple. There's nothing like breaking down on the side of the road in the middle of a motorcycle trip to test your patience and teamwork. There's nothing like the feeling you get when you're riding on your bike, with your gal on the back, hugging you from behind with the wind and the fresh air to make everything feel like it is exactly where it should be and life is great!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work Cited

 

Conrad, Teri. "Marriage and Motorcycles." Accelerate Magazine RSS 20. 13 Dec. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

 

M., Ryan. "Strengthening Relationships." Telephone interview. 13 Dec. 2015.

 

Parker-pope, Tara. "The Happy Marriage Is the ‘Me’ Marriage." The New York Times. The New York Times, 2011. Web. 14 Dec.

        2015.