This website is about me, Matt “Blind Biker” Roberts. I will share experiences, hopes, and dreams. I hope along the way to inspire people to see life has no limitations. Whatever things you say you won’t do, you’ll end up doing one day.
I’m an avid motorcycle enthusiast, and this site will talk about my struggles in enjoying that hobby. My dream is to find a regular riding buddy, someone who doesn’t care about the fact I’m a guy, am blind or anything else. He has no problem with having me on the back of his bike. WE just enjoy rides together. WE also find other things we like in common.
I’m also interested in aviation and ham radio.
Another thing I enjoy is volunteering for the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
“Visit Website”
First Gyroplane Ride
I’ve been interested in aviation for a long time. Most of my experience has been commercial airliners, and general aviation aircraft. I’ve listened to aircraft frequencies and am familiar with communication procedures. I’ve been blind since birth, but don’t let it stop me from learning about things that interest me. A few months ago there was a gyroplane crash south of me. When I heard the news reports, I asked myself if it was really that dangerous. Not knowing anything about gyros themselves, and not knowing anyone to ask, I let it drop right there.
While attending the International Cessna 170 Association convention in Bardstown Kentucky, I was with some friends at the local airport. Someone was about to go flying in what they described as a gyrocopter, but I now know it was a gyroplane. We were in a vehicle, so I attempted to hear the aircraft when the person took off. I was able to do so from a distance. I don’t know much about the aircraft because I wasn’t able to talk to the pilot or put my hands on it. I’m guessing it was open cockpit, because the pilot was wearing a helmet. During the conversation someone said, “he’s suiting up.” That’s what prompted me to ask what the pilot was wearing.
I decided to try to research if it would be possible for me to experience a ride in a gyroplane, though I can’t fly one as a pilot. Not a lot of information is available on this topic on the net. I did find a few videos on Youtube which showed people taking rides so I knew it was possible. .
While researching, I found the following article, “EAA – Light Plane World – This is Not Your Father’s Gyroplane” which was written by Tim O’Connor. At the end of the article, it stated Tim posts to the Rotary Wing Forum. I wondered if I should even join that forum or not, but decided to take the chance. opting to the forum might be the way for me to network with pilots who would give me a ride. After posting an introductory message, I was told Gyroplane pilots meet at two airports in Florida Valkaria and Wachula. Upon researching I discovered both airports were a long distance from where i lived. If I wanted to experience a gyro ride, I’d need to get to one of these airports. I knew there had to be a way, so just stayed focused on my goal.
I was contacted by Gabor Kovacs, president of the Sunstate Wing and Rotor Club in Florida. It turned out he lies very close to me, and said he’d help get em to Wachula. My transportation problem was soled! I was invited to attend the Labor Day gathering for the club, which I accepted.
I continued to research gyroplanes. After watching more videos, I found some training lessons in a gyro, posted on Youtube by Michael Burton. I also found a demonstration of an engine out situation, posted by Brian Willis. There was one thing I couldn’t find. I wanted to understand the take-off and landing procedure. I found Tim O’Connor’s two part video titled, “Demo / Intro Ride In a Gyroplane! ( Gyrocopter .) The description of what he was doing was just what i was seeking.
I took my first gyroplane ride at Wachula Florida. On the day of the ride, I wondered if I was prepared. That morning I watched one of Michael Burton’s instructional videos. All I could do was take the ride.
When the time came for me to climb into the gyroplane, the first thing I noticed wass it was very high. “How was I going to get into this thing?” Fortunately someone talked me through how to get in the seat. For this ride, I had to wear a helmet and goggles as well. After getting in the gyro, I noticed there was no floor. “Where do I put my feet? I know they can’t just hang in mid-air!” You put your feet on a bar in front of you, but be careful you don’t block the pedals.
The pilot, Dave, was great. He was good at explaining to me what was happening. During take-off, the aircraft will shake a bit. I was warned about it so was prepared.
The flight consisted of three trips around the pattern. The first time, Dave took me through an engine out situation. A gyro is always in autorotation, if the engine quits the aircraft can still be landed. This was a situation I wanted to experience, so if I’m flying with someone and it happens I’m prepared. After recovering from the engine out, we flew around the pattern and did a touch and go. A full stop landing followed. The ride was over!
I can’t put into words what it’s like to fly in a gyro. I loved flying with the wind in my face. IF I had my choice to fly in anything, it would be a gyro.
A video was posted on Youtube documenting the ride.
“Watch the Gyroplane Ride Video"As I sit and watch the episode of My 600 LB. Life tonight, I think about my own weight loss journey. I never thought much about my weight until 2005, when a motorcycle friend asked me if I ever thought about losing weight. I said ”yes”, but was not sincere about it. I tried for a while, but slip back into my old habits.
In 2006, I had to go to the doctor, and my weight was checked. At that time I weighed 254 pounds. I couldn’t believe my weight was so high, and I’m surprised the doctor didn’t tell me I needed to lose weight. I continued with my old habits, but actually when I weighed myself again in a few years I had lost a few pounds.
In 2013, I took a ride in a gyro plane. Before the flight, the pilot asked me how much I weighed. My response was “oh, a little over 200 I guess.” The pilot said, “you can’t lie to me, because the aircraft will tell me.” I realize that I needed to find out what my weight actually was. I bought a scale, and when I weighed myself this time, I was 235 pounds. I tried for a while to lose weight, and got down to 212 pounds. The weight-loss didn’t last, and I slipped back into my old ways again.
In January I weighed myself, and found I was it 231 pounds. I realized I needed to get the weight off, because I want to be more healthy. I have been watching a lot of weight loss shows, and realized when I was doing was not a good thing for me healthwise. I also had a conversation with the motorcycle rider, and when I asked him about giving me a ride, he said he was concerned about my size. That did it for me! Since January 15, I have lost some weight. When I weighed myself on Monday, I was 212 pounds again. I’m more determined than ever to get the weight off. I know the lighter I am the easier it will be for someone to let me ride on the back of their motorcycle. If I weigh less, more people will give me rides. I’m also doing it to become more healthy. I’m concerned about my body mass index, which measures obesity. At the moment for my height, my BMI is overweight. By the end of the year, I’m going to be within my normal weight range..
“Check Your Body Mass Index”
The person described in the below description is someone who has no problem with a guy riding on the back of his bike. He doesn’t allow what other people say or think to influence what he does.
The perfect motorcycle riding buddy will be a person who doesn’t worry about my disability. He’ll help me when needed, and understands if I can do something myself, I will. This person is always ready and willing to help, and doesn’t consider my help requests to be a burden. He anticipates what I need, and will speak up. If I’m going to put myself in a situation I shouldn’t, he’ll advise me of this. He doesn’t always expect me to do everything myself, because he knows I can. We always discuss everything as it relates to rides we want to take, and other things we want to do. If my buddy needs to walk away from me for any reason, he makes sure I know where he is, and will not leave me stranded at events and rides. He’s OK with me riding with other people on their bikes, even if I rode to an event with him. IF I ride to an event with someone else, my buddy will let me know he’s there. He’ll let me ride with him if needed, or if I choose to do so.
The technology I use to live my life doesn’t bother him, and he takes an interest in how it all works. My buddy sees me as an individual, and doesn’t base his interaction with me on what he’s heard about blind people, or what he has experienced. He’s willing to explain things to me,and if I need to be made aware of something, he’ll let me know.
He doesn’t look for problems, but if one is encountered we find a solution. My buddy will take any suggestion I make about how to handle a situation,and we’ll come to an understanding about what to do.
We take rides of any distance including short local rides, weekend rides, and long trips. His motorcycle is big enough to carry both of us, as well as clothing and other items needed for all the rides we take. The distance is not important, we just enjoy the ride and companionship. He doesn’t put limitations on me! If I want to go, and he’s going, I have a ride!
Money is not an issue! We work together to be sure all expenses are paid.
Your Thoughts Go Everywhere
Have you ever wondered why when you have thought about someone that person contacted you, or you met them in public? Have you ever been thinking about something and had an idea that leads you to that thing. Maybe you have been wanting something, and just happened to find it. You may be asking, “What? How did this happen? How did I find this person after so long?” The answer is simple. Your thoughts do not just stay in your head. Every thought you think is sending out a message. In this article, I will refer to these messages as mind beacons.
I did not know anything about mind beacons until after I discovered the law of attraction. As I learned about the law, I started realizing that we use many different ways of thinking to attract things in our lives, both what we want and what we don’t want. When you think, “I don’t want———“or “I want———“you are sending out the message to attract that person, place, thing or event. Ways of thinking are visualization, acting as if you already have what you want, or just saying in your mind, “I want———.” The mind beacon messages are influenced by what we experience through the five senses. If you see a news report about a car getting stolen, and you send the message, “I don’t want my car to get stolen,” you are sending out the message for someone to steal your car. What ever message you send you will experience. How it will happen doesn’t matter. Like attracts like!
The first experience I can recall in which I figured out this concept was an experience I had in 1997. I had recently moved out of my parents’ house, and lived with a friend. Greig and I had moved to Dillon South Carolina. When I met him, he told me he did not like his car and wanted to get a different one. We had looked around at different cars, but our credit and income were not satisfactory to get a vehicle. One day Greig just left, without telling me where he was going. I thought he was probably going to look for a job, because that was a task he wanted to complete. We were living on $916 between us, and one whole disability check of $458 paid the house expenses. The money left over covered our other expenses, but it was difficult. We wanted to have our own place, and have the things we wanted. On this particular day, it was things as usual for me. I spent the day listening to the radio, and going out on the back porch for fresh air occationally.
I never could have anticipated the events that would unfold when Greig returned. When he finally came home, he announced, “I got a new car!” I responded, “How did you do that? We don’t have any money to buy a car!” I was managing all the money, and knew exactly what was available. He did not say anything more about how he’d acquired the car, but announced we would be going to Bennettsville. Bennettsville was about 30 miles away from where we lived. I believed him. We left the house, and I thought it would just be a trip to get some dinner and return home. As we traveled I realized we could not be going to Bennettsville. As I tuned across the FM radio dial, I began picking up radio stations in Wilmington North Carolina. I asked myself, “What is he doing?” I did not question Greig, because I figured if I said anything, we would start to argue.
We stopped in Wilmington and got something to eat. Back on the road again, I wondered where we would be going next. Greig assured me we were going home. After driving all night, and home was not in sight, I questioned it. The vehicle ran out of fuel. “Now what?” I thought. A tow truck was called and we had to spend money to get fuel. Since we did not have the fee the company charged in cash, the police and the tow truck driver followed us to the ATM. I was hoping we would be going home soon. I suggested we stop and fuel up, but Greig assured me we had enough fuel to get home. The car ran out of fuel again. We sat and waited and got some help. Greig then decided to stop and get fuel. I did not know what happened right then, but pieced it together later.
When Greig stopped to get fuel for the car, he did not have the money to pay for it and a drink he wanted. He fueled up, got the drink and left the area. When I asked him what happened I was told we could pay for the merchandise later. The gas station attendant called the police and we were stopped. I wanted to pay for the items, and be on our way. When we were stopped, we were asked to follow the police officers back to the gas station. When we arrived, I got out of the car. My plan was to use my ATM card to pay for the items Greig had taken. I was told to get back into the car. “What will happen to me?” I asked myself. “Would I get in trouble simply for being in the car with Greig?”
The gas station decided to press charges, so Greig was arrested. My first thought was, “Now what? Greig is going to jail, how will I get home?”
The police inspected the car and found an envelope from the car dealer which contained a piece of paper. When the officer read what was on that paper, I wanted to scream. The paper was an agreement in which Greig promised to bring $16,500 for the car. “What?” We did not have that kind of money and could not acquire it quickly. Since Greig was going to jail, we needed to do something with the car. One of the officers agreed to drive it to the jail. I rode in the car, and the officer asked me questions about what had happened. I did not know everything, but told him what I could. The whole situation was something I could not understand. . I assured the officer I was not part of the crime, and he said, “You didn’t do anything rong.” I was told the police might want to talk to me, and all I had to do was tell the truth.
When I arrived at the jail, I sat in the lobby. Not too many people came in or out, so I was just left to sit by myself. I told everyone I could about the situation. Unfortunately, no one had a solution for me.
I was informed it would cost $300 to get Greig out of jail. The bills for the month had been paid, and all we had was food and other expense money. Because of our running out of fuel the night before, more money was spent than was planned. Our checking account balance was extremely low. I hoped something else would happen that would prevent me from having to use the rest of our money for the month.
Sitting on that wooden bench in the lobby, and nothing to do, all I had was my mind. I could occationally hear activity in the correction officer’s office. I don’t know why I started thinking the same message over and over, but that is what I began to do. When I felt lonely, I pictured a deputy sheriff standing next to me. Over and over in my mind I kept saying, “Send help, send help, send help!”
As I sat and kept sending the message, someone came and asked me if I would like a soda. After that a correction officer came and said, “The cook wants to know if you’d like a barbecue sandwich.” I was hungry by then because I had not eaten since the night before. I was also given dinner, and breakfast the next morning. The lobby had a soda machine, and someone gave me money so I could purchase drinks as I wanted them.
I talked to several bail bonds companies about putting up the money. The request was refused because we were from out of state, and had not lived very long at our current address.
By the next morning, I felt I had only one choice. Take the little money we had and bail Greig out of jail. One of the correction officers took me to the bank so I could get the necessary funds.
After Greig was released we were finally able to return home. I had been up for 56 hours by the time I arrived home, and all I wanted to do was get some rest. Since Greig was not supposed to take the car, the dealership agreed not to press charges if he returned it. I informed him about this, and then I decided to get some sleep. I was just about to doze when my phone rang and a man’s voice warned me that if Greig arrived in that car I was not to go with him. If I did, I’d get in a lot of trouble. I immediately called the dealership and confirmed the car had been returned.
Utilizing Mind Beacons
Everything you think sends out a message. To use mind beacons to your advantage, first think about what messages you are sending with your thoughts. Are the messages related to things you want? Are you focusing on positive things or negative?
Consider what you discuss with others. Do you talk about good things or focus on your problems? Do you always associate with people who only talk about their problems? Do you, or the people with whom you associate always complain? Every problem has a solution, and if you focus on the situation with negative thoughts, the solution will not be found. Instead of complaining about something you don’t like, try to help find a solution to the problem.
Make a list of your goals. The list should include things you want to be, do, or have. Write as if the event has already taken place. Do not judge anything written, and do not worry about spelling or grammar errors. The errors can be fixed later. Put a date on the list, and when you make changes, document when the update took place. Look at the list as often as possible, and see yourself having the things on the list. Don’t be concerned about how the goals will be achieved, because trying to do so will delay your achievement. Your job is to decide what is wanted, and believe in it happening, and the universe’s job is to figure out the details.
Think positive about the goals on the list. When you think, “I can’t do that! It’ll never happen! I don’t have the money!” see yourself as having whatever is needed to achieve what is wanted. If possible, get pictures of the things you want, and put them in a visible place.
Crash!!! The Accident and My Introduction to the Law of Attraction
When you’re blind independence is very important. You feel like you have to do everything yourself, because sighted people need to see you doing things. Having an attitude like this can get you in trouble. Focusing on proving you can live your life is an attitude that is influenced on you by blind organizations. You are taught the wrong definition of independence. Independence begins within you. You have to believe you are independent. It is what you think, not what others think about you! The blind organizations impress on you, “Don’t ask for help!” “If you ask for help, you will appear helpless.”! This is not true. I wish I had learned this lesson sooner!
I was involved in a car accident which could have been fatal. This accident has changed my outlook on life. What thoughts you have in you’re mind you’ll experience. This is called the Law of Attraction. Was I thinking about getting hit by a car? Yes, I was! Every time I crossed the street I would say to myself, “I don’t want to get hit by a vehicle!” By thinking those thoughts attracted this event to me.
The car accident occurred on March 16, 2005. Something told me not to take the bus home that night. It was raining, but I didn’t want to spend the $20 for a cab ride home from downtown Orlando Florida. I’m sure my intuition was telling me to get a cab home, but I didn’t listen to it. I had $20 to get home, but I told myself I didn’t have it. I denied the fact I had the exact resource available. IN my mind I was thinking, “You don’t have the cab fare. You need to save that money, because you never know when you will need it.”
On this particular day, I was scheduled to volunteer at Adult Basic Education for the Blind. After that was done, I went to a local bar to just sit and relax for a while.
I left the bar and went to the Lynx Central Station to begin my journey home. For me to get home required two buses. The best place to transfer from the downtown Orlando bus to the one I had to take to my apartment complex is located at Fernwood and Oxford in Fern Park. The bus stop is not located at a corner, so you have to cross at a crosswalk. Since I could not see where the crosswalk was located, I had to guess a location of a safe place to cross. I crossed halfway, to the island and waited for the cars to clear. I heard one car, then two, and then nothing. Usually, when you hear nothing it means the way is clear. Not this time! A car came from the right and hit me. I fell to the ground, but immediately came up on my feet. My guide dog went across the road because she knew I was hurt. As soon as I got on my feet, in my mind I’m thinking, “Molly come!” Before I could get the words out, someone walked up to me and said “here’s your dog” and handed me the leash. When I called my dog in my mind, I actually did call her. She knew I was injured and she wanted to get back by my side as much as I wanted her there. I know she heard me in her brain calling her. This caused the events to happen that allowed her to be brought back to me.
The 911 call was received at 8:38 P.M. and the police were dispatched at 8:39 P.M. The fire department was dispatched at the same time.
Someone helped me the rest of the way across the road to the bench where the bus stop is located. I was just going to go home, because I was thinking at that time the bus was the only way to get to my destination. My attitude was extremely negative at this point. It was fine for me to want to go home, but not the way I was doing it! A bystander told me that the top of my head was bleeding and I should go to the hospital. At that time, no one knew I also had pieces of glass from the windshield of the car in the top of my head. All of the glass was removed successfully.
I was concerned about getting home because my dog had not eaten her evening meal. I was also afraid that my dog would be taken away from me and sent to an animal shelter. If that happened, how would I get her back? What if I was in the hospital too long and they considered her as unclaimed and put her to sleep? I was really scared. I was thinking about all the things I didn’t want to happen.
When the fire department arrived, in tears, I asked them to not take my dog from me. They assured me that they would not and asked if my dog would let them take care of me. I told them she’d let them do whatever they needed to do, as long as they let me give the proper commands.
They didn’t have any problem with this, so though they had to hold her leash, I still gave her the appropriate verbal commands. I wanted to keep Molly with me, but I didn’t have to think about what I didn’t want to accomplish my goal. My conscious was focusing on one thing, but my subconscious was focusing on another.
The paramedics were great. Because I had pain in my lower right leg and lower back, a collar was placed on my neck, and I was placed on a backboard. Since I have watched a lot of rescue shows such as Rescue 911, I knew what they were doing, and they also told me what was going to happen.
When I arrived at the hospital, I explained my dilemma about my dog not having her evening meal. The paramedics took it upon themselves to go out and get dog food for her. They went way beyond the call of duty. This is something you never forget. Here I was a blind man injured, and people I didn’t even know went the extra mile to take care of not only myself but my guide dog too. I was concerned about getting home and I was assured by the paramedics that if there was no other way, they would get me home themselves. Again, this is going beyond the call of duty because I didn’t live in Seminole County. I lived in Orange County, which is the next county south of where the accident occurred. Deep down, without realizing it, I was focusing on what I wanted. I wanted to get my dog fed, and get home!
The hospital staff was great as well, not only did they take care of me; they took care of Molly too. She had a scratch on her leg, which was bandaged. They also saw to it she had water, and had a chance to go outside.
When I first arrived at the hospital, I focused on what I didn’t want, being admitted to the hospital. As time passed, I began to change my thinking. Being admitted to the hospital was not what I wanted, it was going home. I wanted to be in my own bed and recover! I started focusing on what I would do when I got home. I was a regular listener to Sirius Satellite radio, and I liked certain channels. Two of my favorites were Starlight, and The Jazz Café. In my mind I kept playing my favorite slogans from those channels that were played regularly . “The road is paved with light all across America. Welcome to another hour of commercial free music. This is Starlight on Sirius” “Smooth, Cool, funky! The Jazz Café Sirius 71.”
The only injuries I had were lacerations to the top of my head, pain in my lower back and lower right leg. I had a cat scan and x-rays done and was sent home the same night. I did have to take a cab, and spend the $20.00 to get home. Because I was in a lot of pain, I could not carry the things that I needed to bring home. The cab driver was one I knew personally, and he helped me get the stuff in my apartment. At that point, I just wanted to get me, my dog, and my personal belongings in my apartment, and didn’t care how I did the job. Nothing mattered, I was home!
I decided after the accident I wanted to meet the fire crew who responded. This was my goal and I was not going to waver from it! While I was recovering, if I would tell myself, “I don’t feel like …“or “I just can’t do …”I’d hear the paramedics say, “You’ve got to do it! You’ve got to do it!”
On the belief that I would meet the firefighters, I wrote a letter to the Seminole county fire chief and made my request. My request was granted but there were some things that happened which in the past would have resulted in me giving up on my goal. When I spoke with the lieutenant at the station, he told me I would come to the station and have breakfast with the fire crew. I planned to use paratransit to get there and scheduled my transportation. The day before, I got a call saying that we could not do it the way I had planned. After canceling the paratransit trip, I left a message on the lieutenant’s cellular phone voice mail saying if the meeting could not happen just tell me and I would forget the whole thing.
The next morning I woke up early. There was nothing on my schedule for that day. It was a Sunday so all I was going to do was stay home and listen to the fire calls on my scanner. I had an inspiration which made no sense to me. Act like the meeting with the fire crew was going to happen, though nothing had been scheduled. I got ready to walk out the door, and at the appointed time, I imagined that I was having breakfast with them. I pictured myself sitting at the table and all of us enjoying breakfast.
Later that morning, I received a call from the lieutenant. He asked me how long it would take me to get ready to meet with the firefighters. I was ready, so he said they’d come and pick me up in the fire engine. I was monitoring the fire frequencies for the area where the firefighters worked, and knew that the rescue and engine were dispatched to a call. I thought, “They are going to cancel,” but still followed what I was told. The rescue called over the radio they would be going to the hospital from the call they had just handled. The engine crew called in and said they were unavailable. I thought, “What are they doing?” I received a call telling me the engine was on the way to meet me.
I met the paramedics face to face and thanked them for what they did for me. It is something I’ll never forget, and I told them. It meant a lot to me to be able to actually shake their hands and talk to them face to face. Along with what I wanted, I got other things as well. I wanted to ride in a fire engine, and the day I met the fire crew I did that as well as ride in the front seat of a rescue truck like the one that was used to transport me to the hospital. Neither of these things was requested in the original letter I sent to the fire chief. I also got to visit the fire station where they worked and was allowed to talk on the fire radio. I asked to feel the equipment that was used on me and my request was granted. When I was shown the collar, I was told I could keep it. I still have that collar today and it is a reminder of why I began researching the Law of Attraction.
After meeting with the firefighters and reflecting on the events that happened, I began asking myself how. How was it possible? Was there something more than what I knew? Was a force at work that was starting to reveal itself to me?
I started asking questions and was lead to lots of different resources. Every book I read showed me the same thing. Books by such authors as Joe Vitale, Jerry and Esther Hicks, and Dr. Robert Anthony enlightened me to what you think is what you experience. Each book I read showed me something more, and I began to understand why my life was the way it was. The book that was the most influential is by Rhonda Byrne called The Secret. A film has also been produced by the same name. The law of attraction is at work in all of our lives. As Mike Dooley says, “Thoughts become things.” The question to ask now is “What do I want?” You can ask this question knowing there are no limits. Anything is possible! You can be do or have anything you want!
Thank you for visiting my blog.
“Visit me on Facebook” “Follow Me on Twitter” Click to E-mail MeThis page is powered by Sero. Learn more about accessibility anywhere.