People Are People

                I was walking into the TA in Barstow Saturday night when a gentleman sitting on the curb - with what I assume was all his worldly possessions in a backpack - asked me for a cigarette.  I was on my way to work out, so I didn’t have any with me and told him that.  When I came back from working out he was gone, but when I came out from my shower he was back.  I deposited my shower bag in the truck, grabbed my smokes and went over to him.

                I sat on the curb with him for about 30 minutes just having a normal conversation.  His name was Jacob and he had hitch-hiked from Oklahoma to California with a plan of doing construction work down in San Diego.  He’d been talking to someone on the internet and was told he would have work if he got there.  He told me that this was the 4^th time he had crossed the country hitch-hiking and told me of some of the more interesting things that have happened to him in his travels.  I asked him if he’d ever considered writing a collection of these stories and getting them published.  We talked about our kids, work, my upcoming vacation and our faith.  (He is a Christian, too.)  I gave him the rest of my pack of cigarettes and bought him a shower with loyalty points and then I had to get to bed.

                If you’re a Christian, you’ll understand what I mean when I say, “I felt like God wanted me to just go sit and talk with him.”  It was the type of normal conversation I’ve probably had 100 times with various friends.  He never asked me for anything but a cigarette.  I never felt unsafe; we were out in public in a well-lit area.

                I’ve thought about that conversation a few times over the past week.  There was nothing profound said, and probably nothing particularly important.  I didn’t do anything great.  I just had a conversation with a stranger.  What was important to me was just following my instincts and doing what I felt I was supposed to do.  I’ve also been thinking about some things that have been going on around the country that show us to be horribly divided; i.e. the Charlottesville riots a few weeks ago.  But, also the images coming from Texas of people coming together to help random strangers after Hurricane Harvey.

                It costs nothing to be nice to someone, but taking the time to do so changes the world… even if it only changes the world for that one person.

Motorcycles For Dummies

          

          Two weekends ago, I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s “Basic Ridercourse,” which I have been affectionately referring to as “Motorcycles For Dummies.”  There is nothing derogatory about that nickname; I love the “Dummies” and the “Idiot’s Guide” books.  I relied on those when I was homeschooling my kids.  Those books take you from A to Z on whatever topic.  They’re still my “go to” when I want to learn something new. 

          At the beginning of the course, we all got to introduce ourselves and tell why we were taking the course.  I told them I bought a motorcycle and need to learn how to ride it, which is true.  I left the part about the suspected mid-life crisis out.

          About halfway through the course I realized another benefit I was getting.  I knew this course would make me a better trainer.  It's had been a very long time since I truly felt like I had no idea what I was doing.  I felt like a fish trying to learn how to ride a bicycle.  I was uncoordinated, lacked confidence and wondered if I hadn’t lost my mind.  Voices from my past snuck up on me to tell me I couldn’t do this.

          The motorcycle I bought is at my brother’s house and at one point I considered walking out of that class and calling him to tell him to sell it.  When I told him that he said he would have told me to suck it up and get back in the class.  He knew I could do it, even when I didn’t. 

          The last time I felt like that was June 1991 when I started truck driving school.  It’s been so long ago, that I know I’ve ignored the fact that most of the trainees I get probably feel the exact same way when they climb in my truck.  I think this is going to make me more compassionate and patient as a trainer.  I’ve been driving a truck so long that it comes as naturally as breathing for me.  But it hasn’t always been that way.

She's Ba-ack!

          After three weeks with very limited technology… I think I’m back; at least I hope so!  (I just got an error message on my laptop, I’m hoping it was a fluke.)

          I’m not exactly sure what happened or what I was supposed to learn from it, but both my laptop and phone crashed within a week of each other and my tablet has always been moody on a day by day basis.

          I got my first computer in 1997 and my first cell phone in 2003, but if you had seen me in action over the past three weeks you would have thought I was born with one in each hand.  I could hardly function… as evidenced by two weeks without a blog post, right?

          I won’t chalk it up as a completely negative experience.  I got caught up on reading the books I had downloaded to my Nook months ago.  (Okay, yes, that’s technology, too.)  I seem to have broken my addiction to a few games I had on my phone, as well as Facebook.  I probably got more sleep.

          I had a lot of time to think about life before all this technology.  Remember when we used to hang out with friends and actually talk to each other instead of sitting in a room with a handful of people staring at their phones?  Maybe that was the lesson in all of this?  Technology is good when it’s used accordingly, but it’s not the be all and end all of everything.

Tech Hell Continues

     The upside to procrastination is when your phone crashes right outside St. Louis there is probably a spare in your laptop bag you've been telling yourself you need to get rid of for 3 years.  No?  Maybe it's just me?

     Last week it was the laptop, this week it was the phone. The tablet has never worked right. Today I bought a new tablet that will not work with Blogger.  I'm typing this between freeze ups on the phone that crashed yesterday (hooked up to my Wi-Fi.)

     Tech support thinks the SIM card went whacko.  They are sending a new one so hopefully my phone will be working properly by next Thursday.

     In the meantime, it might be a good idea to keep your electronics away from me. I think I'm the lowest common denominator.

     Have a great week!

Technology Hell

     I am in technology hell this week.  I tried to turn on my laptop last night to write this week’s blog post and nada. I got an error message about Windows failing to load and blah blah blah damaged files with an option to try to repair the damaged files. Three hours later… still nada.

     I spoke with Scot in our IT department this morning but didn’t get the easy fix I was hoping for. I’m going to have to run the rescue disk. The problem with that is I have moved three times, gotten married and divorced since I bought this laptop. Your guess is as good as mine as to where that disk might be. I will be contacting the computer repair store that fixed my laptop last year when I get back to OKC.  In the meantime, I get to write and upload the blog posts on my phone.

     I could do it on my tablet… you know, the tablet I bought specifically for the blog and never got comfortable using.  Yes, that tablet.  The one that I can’t access Google Play Store with when I’m connected to my wifi hotspot, but can when I’m connected to any other Wi-Fi.

     Sometimes, it’s really interesting to be me. On a positive note, I think I like this MS Word app I downloaded on my phone today!  It’s a lot easier to use than I expected it to be.

     Well, it was easier until I tried to copy this post so I could paste it into Blogger. OY!

www.spiritleadrevival.org

          Have you heard?  Our chaplain has a new website!

www.spiritleadrevival.org

          This website is one of the foundational steps in creating the vision the chaplain has of expanding his ministry beyond the gates of our terminal and out into the world to serve the trucking industry as a whole.

          I have spoken with Chaplain Olen several times about this grand vision he has where truck drivers can come to a safe place where they can get spiritual and physical needs met, while experiencing the love of Jesus.

          At the website, you will find information about the ministry and the people involved.  There are links to resources where truck drivers can find help for specific needs, along with opportunities to become part of the team or to partner with the ministry financially.  Also, there is a contact form and a place to send prayer requests.

          I would encourage everyone to visit this website and get more information.  There is so much more than I can share here and I don’t think I would do it justice.

Who Put All This Stuff in My Truck?

          I have no idea how it happened; but once again it looks like an award-winning episode of Hoarders in this truck.  I can’t figure out for the life of me who keeps putting all this stuff in my truck.  I take stuff out and more stuff finds its way in.  It’s mind-boggling, I tell you.  Maybe it’s gremlins?  Clutter-fairies? Ghosts?  It couldn’t possibly be me.  No way.  Okay, fine… Denial is not a river in Egypt.  It’s me.

          I was talking with Clyde this morning because I’m scheduled to pick up a trainee next week.  He asked me if I wanted to get there the day she is to get out of orientation and I said “No, I want to be there the day before,” and explained why.

    1.   I want time to get a reset before we leave so our hours are balanced.

    2.   I need to get some of this stuff out of the truck to make room for her stuff.

     Half way through writing this post I had to run into the truck stop to go potty.  What did I come back out with?  Another book; go figure.  I guess we know who the culprit is.  Don’t judge me, I’ve seen some of your trucks and I know a lot of you are just as bad as me. 

     I’ll make you a deal… if you don’t rat me out, I won’t rat you out.  😉