Sophia Vassiliadis: How You Know You’ve Found The One

Anyone who knows me well – actually, anyone who knows me at all – is aware that there are two avoidable hardships that I do not tolerate willingly: early mornings, and cold temperatures. Subjected to either of these; even I don’t want to hang around me. But life has a way of letting you know you’re smitten without saying a thing. On a motorcycle, this warm weather night owl doesn’t notice the frosty air at dawn. Okay, that’s an exaggeration: I’ll notice and I’d rather not, but it doesn’t break my stride.

The first time I felt the rush of the ride I was 15, sitting pillion behind my dad on the winding roads of a Greek island. But it’s easy to understand how scenic views, perfect temperatures, and the promise of a mid-afternoon beach nap could sweeten any experience. It’s when you’re still smiling after hours of riding headlong into tiny daggers of icy precipitation, soaked to the core, fingers barely registering the controls. That’s when you know you’ve been won over.