Drivers, have you ever contemplated giving up your job to find something that's not so boring? You know what I mean. Endless hours of pounding the pavement over the same highways that you've traveled a million times. At times feeling that it would be more invigorating to smack yourself in the forehead with a hammer than to drive one more mile. Drivers who have been over the road for many years know what I'm talking about. Right?
Of course there's always entertainment! Listening to those highway philosophers who inform us of the greatness of life by sharing their deepest, most inner thoughts like "I ain't got no panties on,” or enlightening us with their scholarly opinions of war, politics or religion. At times, conversations are provocative: I once spoke with a fellow who informed me that Moses walked across the Red Sea to help Jesus build an ark so they could float to America where people are free! I guess everyone is entitled to his or her own interpretation of the Bible and life. I appreciate a historian, although if his tale begins with, "You ain't going to believe this," roll up your pant legs, folks, because a whopper of a story is coming your way.
Drivers are usually so busy trying to make the most out of every hour that they forget that truck driving is no ordinary job. I ask people who ride with me, "How do you like my office? You can't beat the view!" We roll along the highways, sightseeing in places that most people never see.
That big orange ball slowly descending behind the Rocky Mountains, creating a backdrop that not even the most talented artist could compose, is not something to be seen, it's something to be experienced. The sky appears as a huge marble with indescribable coloration. If you're ever watching the sunrise in New York City during the early morning hours, the sun seems to emerge from the sea with its brilliant yellowish- orange colors, silhouetting the skyscrapers, quietly bringing life to a sleeping city. It's quite beautiful.
As truckers roll along the highways, each perceives the beauty of Mother Nature in ways that reach his or her soul, whether in watching the Mohave Desert renew its beauty with colorful flowers after a morning rain, or watching a herd of antelope prance and play on the open prairie, or watching sheep scampering on a mountainside.
During the fall in the Northeast, leaves of huge oak, maple and elm trees transform into a tapestry of colors that transcends beautiful. Tourists from as far away as California visit the region annually to witness this phenomenon.
So, drivers, when you're feeling down and out, think of the wondrous experiences that made you a trucker. Remember that awesome sensation, felt in an instant, that you couldn't imagine being anywhere else and all is right in the world. And never forget: We are the individuals providing the backbone of a glorious nation!
