There’s a long-standing debate: Is life about collecting stuff, or collecting experiences?

Most of the time, we’re told to choose. But for me, the two have always been connected.

When I was a kid, my dad introduced me to a mini bike. It felt like magic — this mechanical wonder sparked something in me: curiosity, joy, movement. That little bike opened the door to dirt bikes, motorcycles, jet skis, mountain bikes — even a full-blown destination mountain bike shop.

That’s a lot of “stuff.”

But each piece of gear was a doorway to something more:
— Time with friends after school, chasing trails.
— Motocross weekends with my dad.
— Surfing wave after wave.
— Cresting the Wasatch Mountains at midnight with nothing but moonlight to guide us.
— Running a business that served my community and showed people what was possible.

These weren’t just things. They were experiences. And those experiences shaped my life.

So what’s the point?

Experience is the reward that comes from the joy of the stuff — when that stuff is used with intention.

From a yogic lens, I also resonate deeply with the Niyama Saucha — the practice of cleanliness and clarity in body, mind, and environment. If something no longer served me, I let it go so it could serve someone else. I never saw myself as a collector. I saw myself as a participant — in motion, in flow.

There is balance. Your stuff can serve you — or it can own you.
That’s the real question.

So… is it about the bike?

Maybe not.
But in my experience — it kind of is. 😉