The Crazy Driver

Hey guys. I am just going to put it out there, my father is a peculiar man. He often does things that make me raise an eyebrow and question his motives. Heck, occasionally I even question if he has good intentions. But occasionally, I get a glimpse into his mind at the oddest of times, and it makes me rethink everything I know about something or other. Today I had one such instance.

                Me and my father work for the same company, at the same location. Both of us run ourselves into the ground every day there, and we are each more likely to get off late than on time. Occasionally, we get off at about the same time, and are both on our way to the area when we live. In these instances, I follow behind him. Today was one of those times. We both got off just over 35 minutes late, and agreed to go get some Mexican food as opposed to cooking this evening.

I was following him, and very early in the drive we got separated by probably a dozen or more cars. Of course, I knew the way to where we were going, so it wasn’t like I was following him to get to where I was going, but up ahead, on the road we had turned on to, his truck was sitting in the dirt on the side. This was a valid head scratching moment, if, that is, I hadn’t been driving a nice old sports car at the time. I thought to myself Why? And in that word, was so many questions. Why are you being so overprotective? Don’t you know that I know this route better than you probably do? Why do you insist on treating me like a child? Then it hit me, not another car, but a realization. I saw as my father’s true intentions. Me and my dad have become increasingly distant as I age, not because of fondness for one another, or compatibility of our personalities, but because of time. We hardly even see each other lately. Yes, we work at the same place, but he is in the offices, a pencil pusher if you will. I spend my days in the warehouse, doing blue collar type work. Both of us hold our half of the company together. After work, well, I am rarely at the house he is at. When I am, it tends to be after 11 in the evening when I walk in, and I am out the door before he is so I can get to the gym before work. I realized, although our drives aren’t as face to face as I would like, it is still time that we get to spend together, in a way. I still look forward and see my dad, not just a silver Chevy. He still looks back at the blue Firebird and sees his son. It is time spent, father and son. Family. So, him pulling off to the side to wait for me was so we could have a little more time together.

It doesn’t matter how you spend time with your loved ones, or even if you talk while you are together, if you have those experiences together, and you have those reminders that you are still in each other’s lives, and are always there to help, support, and advise each other. I want to remind you all that it is truly a 2-way street. No matter how dominant of a role you play in a relationship, be it family, friend, romantic or otherwise, you still need to be cared for and given advice from the other person. No one can do it all on their own, or make the right decisions without the input of those they love. I challenge you to spend more time with someone you are growing distant with, and to try to find the middle ground between taking advice and giving it.

Dad, you are off your rocker, and you need to take more advice from those around you, especially those who say that you need to take a break more than once every few months. But when it comes down to it, your heart is always in the right place, and you are doing your best in all aspects of your life. Thank you for all you have done and all you have taught me.

See ya and allons-y.