Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
You know what makes this job so interesting? If you do, write your answer on a $100 bill and send it to me. Listening to Car Talk, is not the answer (but thanks for the inspiration anyway). The most surprising and intriguing aspect is all the people you meet. Landscapes and nature are always spectacular (I did manage to spy a bunny on the lawn at Denver!), yet they will always be so. Granted, they may appear different in varying seasons and weather, which is part of the reason I find the natural aspects of this job enchanting, but for sheer stun power, it has to be the people.
We'll skip right to the people. I pulled into Inland Empire, my shipper for this load. They make cardboard boxes. A cat's dream job (well testing them anyway). I have no idea what is going on, so I talk to the yard jockey. They are the guys that move trailers about on these tiny little truck-like vehicles with an itsy-bitsy turn radius comparatively. I do as instructed, go inside after a small jog and grab my paperwork. Jogging back to the truck, I find the trailer which bizarrely had two sets of numbers, one stuck over the other. I'm checking the trailer for the ride, making sure the mudflaps are secure, the lights work, the load is secure, the wheels are inflated, and so forth when the yard jockey comes around and informs me that He'd like to shuffle a bunch of trailers around, and it would help if I move the trailer I'm hooking to. Well of course I'm going to move it. I seal the doors (which is less grandiose than it sounds) and make my way to my truck.
The yard jockey is there explaining how he plans to move everything, not that I care, but I listen top be polite. This is how the conversation went, to the best of my recollection.
“The yard is too small. It feels like it has gotten smaller since Inland got bought out.”
“By who,” I wondered aloud.
“IP,” Since I've hauled all sorts of paper products before I know he means 'International Paper' yet he continues, “International Paper.” Then out of left field he asks, “Are you a Believer?”
My response, “In what? International Paper?” Seriously. I felt that I had missed some kind of segue here. I guess there wasn't one.
“Well who do you work for?”
“Uh, I work for Swift, it says so on the side of the truck.” He smiled that condescending smile of 'you are so going to burn in hell.' I played it a bit more, just because I enjoy this sort of thing.
“There are only two kingdoms,” he continued. I wish I could invent stuff this comical, but real life is way funnier. So I started to get his drift, which I had since the first question.
“Oh, if you are talking about religious stuff, then I consider myself more of a Taoist.”
A blank stare. “What the hell is that?”
“It is something like a Buddhist, but without the detachment from the world, rather the acceptance that you are a part of it [and by extension divine, which I did not say. No need to irk him more]”
“Oh, well then that's too bad, (something about sin, I forget.)”
I'm feeling that it is tie to wrap this up and get going, I've got to get out of Denver before the shit... err... snow storm hits the area. “Well that's all well and good, I respect that you have a different belief than I do, and that's cool. I'm content with my belief system, and you are welcome to respect that as well, or not.”
“That's the greatest sin!” What? Letting people think their own thoughts? God forbid! Or is it agreeing to live and let live? Man, I could only imagine what he would have said if I were a Muslim!
In the back of my head, I leave thinking, “Well dude, you can enjoy your beliefs. I cannot fathom the idea of a god that judges you, for one, then hates you so much as to separate you from the rest of life. Inconceivable!” More to the point, I'm straight up baffled that people still believe in things like “sin” and “god's wrath” If I didn't have a calendar, I would have sworn that we were sometime in the Dark Ages.
Heh, I wonder what he would have said if I told him about all of the nature spirits that surround us, and help make the planet grow, Or perhaps about all of the other planes of existence that go far beyond 'Heaven' and 'Hell.' Or the myriad of pixies, gnomes, sprites and Divas that romp and play in the forests. Or even talking to trees. Yeah, I'd totally be burned at the stake. Well, maybe not. I would more likely be preached at about how I am 'sinning.' But like I said, to each their own. I hope he has a great life!
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