Temper, temper.

Friday, November 4^th, 2011

Often times, perhaps especially in this industry, we are handed circumstances that are less than we hope for. The fact of the matter is, that the resistance to anything is all in our own minds. Granted, we may anticipate the potential difficulties associated with any given circumstance, but each individual situation will have its own nuances and subtleties that previous experience cannot account for. Since my truck will be in the shop for what is likely to be a week or more, I have the uncommon experience of borrowing someone else's truck for a period of time.

         On the bright side, I am quite lucky that I've not yet gotten all of my stuff from my most recent residence. This made packing the truck up much easier. For now, I am in a truck that belongs to a lady named Christie. She was kind enough to pick me up from the Freightliner repair shop and bring me to the local drop yard to get into her truck. It is always quite an experience to meet other drivers under such circumstances. You are completely reliant on their goodwill and kindness, which means that you become vulnerable to …. geez. Vulnerable to something. Perhaps to rejection? Anyway, I am in her debt for being so willing to help out. I am to take this truck from Spokane to Seattle, then something will happen there that is as of yet unknown. There was this strange impression that I am to be taking some home time in a little bit, but I requested Thanksgiving weekend off, which is weeks away.

      Perhaps I will be getting into another truck completely, which may happen, or may not. I may just run with this truck until Christie is due to hit the road again on Thursday. I don't pretend to have any answers anymore. I was that guy who knew everything back in the day. I've found that to be too much hassle to maintain. It is so liberating to say, “I don't know,” and be fine with it.

      For now, I will spend the next few days becoming accustomed to a new transmission, and the new smells of a different truck. I shall do my best to love the WWJD pull chain on the air horn cord. The many references to Jesus surround me! I feel like I've stumbled into a Christian book store. I am very happy that she has found something to believe in, and grateful that some of the teaching of kindness, sharing and love has left such an impression on her that she is so willing to share her truck with me. It's kinda like going into someone's house with all of their stuff still around and living in it. While it may resemble this in a fashion, it is something entirely different when you climb into someone else's truck.

      With a house, you expect it to reflect the owner along with their beliefs and sensibilities. The same holds true for a truck. However, this may be where the similarities stop. In a house, one will often expect to have people visit. This is certainly not true for a truck. Mechanics do not count by any stretch, since they need only sit in the seat on rare occasions. Being a smaller space, trucks are inherently more intimate. The driver totally dominates the scene without any outside influence. Personality seeps into the bunk, the seats, even the truck itself. For instance, I can feel a kind of love in this truck, yet coupled with a reclusiveness. I feel hesitant to criticize, a bit more forgiving. I can see the visible signs of filial ties, a drawing from a third grader, lots of mementos from her niece and nephew. Lots of books about Christian living, and the personal effects of a life over the road. The best I can do is to leave a happy energy behind, and extend my gratitude, no matter how foreign the smells are.