Num. 40 - Money and Motorcycles
Chad Karger
40. My relationship with money and motorcycles has evolved.
My first job was mowing lawns in the neighborhood when I was in the 4th grade. My family lived in a small East Texas town. Our house was a one-story red brick home with a carport and three steps you had to climb to enter the house. It was owned by the church where my dad worked. This humble parsonage was located in a modest neighborhood on the northeast side of town. At the end of our street were acres of piney woods where I would imagine all sorts of worlds with my friends. A large open field sat behind an elementary school two blocks over. Directly behind our house was a sawmill. And at the other end of the street was Waltrip Yamaha Shop.
I'd ride my bike to the shop and daydream of riding one of the bright yellow motorcycles. One day a used dirt bike just my size showed up on the lot. I came home and told my dad all about it. I went to bed with visions of riding the motorcycle racing through my mind. My dad picked me up at school in our Volkswagen Van the next day. I climbed inside and sat down in the shotgun seat. We were nearly home when dad, to my surprise, pulled into the motorcycle shop. "Let's see that bike you were telling me about," my dad said to me as he parked the van. I eagerly hopped out and ran to where I last saw the bike the night before. It was gone!
Dad led us inside to ask about the used bike. Much to my chagrin, the owner told us it had sold. Twenty-four hours' worth of dreams evaporated in a second. The owner showed us to the back, where it was being held for the new owner. The SOLD tag hung from the handlebar, confirming my disappointment. "Who bought it?" Dad asked. Dad nudged me to look at the name on the tag. "Chad Karger," the tag read!
It should be noted that Dad loved all things with motors, especially motorcycles. So it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine Dad was as excited about me having this bike as I was. Before we left the shop with the bike, Dad explained that we had to make 24 payments to finish buying the motorcycle. He handed me a small booklet with notes attached for $25 each. Dad explained that he had put a downpayment on the bike, and I was responsible for the monthly payments. As he handed me the booklet with the payments, he said, "You've got to get a job to pay for this." And so I started mowing my neighbors' lawns.
In other words, my first job was a means to pay for the joy of riding that motorcycle. My dad was many beautiful things to me, but he was not a stickler for saving money! He was a risk-taker! He taught me to find those things that brought me joy and do them with gusto. He turned me loose on that motorcycle in a way I'm not sure I'd do with my own kids when they were that age! His generosity and encouragement wasn't limited to me. He and my mom poured themselves into their work and into people's lives. They were always looking for ways to teach and impart wisdom. So, when he handed me that payment book and told me to get to work, I happily did so. In exchange, I got countless hours on that motorcycle. I rode that dirt bike until I was thirteen, when it finally wouldn't crank.
Later in my life, I watched my parents occasionally struggle to make ends meet. Even as they approached their retirement years, my sister and I knew that things would be tight. Yet, there were countless joys that they had secured at the expense of more money in the bank. Yet, through it all, they never lost their desire to help others. Far from it, in retirement, they continued to invest their time, talents, and treasures into assisting others in finding a similar joy and faith. Theirs was a sense of peace and security that more money could not have purchased.
When it comes to money, all of us are making trade-offs in spending and investing. Meeka and I chose to accept financial constraints to pursue our joy. This goes all the way back to getting married young. We made other choices like Meeka staying home with our kids, and I chose to pursue a professional calling in ministry and non-profit work. We also prioritized generosity. To be sure, we have enjoyed adventures and life's pleasures. We have many creature comforts around us and marvel at how God has been more than generous to us along the way. Thankfully, we have money set aside for emergencies and retirement. Not only that, we've amassed a treasure chest full of amazing stories of mind-blowing ways God moved others on our behalf to invest in us and thus inspire us to invest in and encourage others.
I’ve owned one other motorcycle (which a good friend gave to me!) since that Yamaha 80. I eventually traded in the motorcycle for a mountain bike. The bicycle has kept me fit, been a fantastic outlet, and is cheaper to maintain. I still look back with deep fondness on my days of riding that dirt bike. There were lessons learned on that bike I’ll have to write about one of these days.