2020-04-19 — “Let’s Get a Little Mud On the Tires”

Buenas noches amigos y amigas!

Happy Sunday 😊

It’s been a good bit lighter of a day today, and that’s been nice. I needed that. Went out and got my redneck on a little bit 😁.

I still haven’t been able to let go and fully enjoy my time off, but today was a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle and stress of the rest of the week.

My old employee and friend Chase (who I went to China with last November) came down with his good friend Jessie to visit (they work in North Dakota and live in Alaska). Since he’d finally gotten his four wheel drive fixed in his Silverado, and there was a trail I’ve been wanting to take him on for a looooong time, we decided to “get a little mud on the tires.” 😁

We finished getting his inoperative cruise control fixed, so he was better prepared for the long drive back to the big ND, and then we headed out for our little adventure 😁.

Most of you probably won’t be aware, but a few years back or so, during a really bad day personally, I took my Geo Prizm on the same trail. I’d never been there before and was just trying to get out of Dodge for a while.

I did.

I drove up into Missouri into the middle of the Mark Twain National Forest, found a 4-wheeler trail that led way out into the middle of nowhere in the Ozark “mountains,” (they’re really just bumps here, think large rolling hills… but… don’t want to offend the locals, soooo… we’ll call them mountains. 😊)

Anyway, I took that little car through terrain a car like that has no business going through (but anyone who knows me knows that I love to take my little cars crazy places like that 🙃). That trip, however, was a little different: It was the first time (and only time so far) I’ve had to leave my car on the adventure because, well… I got stuck. Butt end under water, front end hopelessly high centered.

Stuck stuck.

I hiked out that night, in the dark, managing to get a call off to my mother who was able to find me in the middle of the forest and give me a ride back home. We went back a day or two later with my nephew, who kindly pulled me out of the ditch and got me back on the road.

Aaaaaanyway… that little trail has become a fun place for me to return to over the years–only a few times, but still fun–and today marked not only another return, but Chase’s first time there, and his first time behind the wheel on an offroading adventure.

He did great, by the way. Jessie is an offroad regular, and I’ve certainly had my fair share of fun taking my cars where they ought not to go, so together, we were able to coach Chase through some of the harder places (there are some pretty hairy spots on that trail, especially when you’re talking about trying to do it all in a full size truck that’s so… long.)

But, as I said, Chase did great. Jessie was fabulous, and we had a lot of fun. 

Not only that, but the truck came out pretty much unscathed! 

Bonus.

I wish I could provide a description that would do the experience justice. You’re in the middle of the Ozark “mountains” (again, large forested hills), the temperature was probably something like the lower to mid 60s–perfect. The sun was out. It had rained only just a little bit the night before, so the mud and puddles were perfect… Everything was green green green… It was gorgeous and fun.

I took some pictures and videos, but they don’t do the experience justice at all either, so I might post them, or you can just use your imagination.

Anyway, after that, we went and grabbed a bite to eat, I tried helping to get Chase’s subwoofer working (props to Jessie for figuring it out), Chase helped me get some wood home that I’d left sitting at the Rogers Autozone for the last month or so, and then… well… here I am 😊.

It’s 10:07 p.m., and I am mildly anxious for tomorrow, as I haven’t really communicated with customers about scheduling, and it’s already late, so… that may not happen until the morning. We’ll see. I’m gonna try and get that done as soon as I publish this post.

Well, folks. It’s on to gratitude…

#1. I know I already mentioned it, but I’m grateful that today was a bit lighter of a day. A little fun. A little sun. A little drive. A little more… alive. 😊

#2. If I make it through the night tonight, it’ll be 14, 22, and 13. I did have a close call with the junk food today, and some might say I have to start over with that one (I needed a drink to stave off that medical issue that I have, so we stopped off at the gas station, and I grabbed a big 44 oz Coca-Cola Zero. I didn’t even think about it being junk food I don’t think until I had already started filling the cup. I didn’t want to waste what I’d put in the cup, and I figured… well, it’s sugar free, so that’s good enough. I don’t think it was until later that I was like… that’s probably still junk food, huh. So… for now, I’m gonna keep my tally at 14, but I’ll probably set that in the junk food category from here on out, and won’t buy it anymore–just water and juice for me 😊.

Booyah. 

#3. I’m grateful that we made it through all the obstacles without getting stuck and without damaging Chase’s truck. He did get close to getting stuck once, and that’s the video I wish I’d taken most… him getting out of a mud hole that he’d gotten temporarily stuck in. That would have been a great video-the truck thrashing wildly against the mud and the water.

Awesome. 😁

#4. I’m grateful to be smiling today. 😊

#5. I’m grateful Chase was able to help me get those boards home from Autozone. Every time I’ve driven by with them there, I’ve been like “Crap… gotta get those.”

Well, folks. I gave it another go today trying to write the next autobiographical sketch. But… again… no dice. I’m just not sure at all yet how to do it. It’s sitting there… in draft form… nowhere near done. I think I’m just gonna have to take some serious time pondering…  I need to war game an actual strategy of what kinds of things can be included and what can’t, and then stick to it. If I can find some guiding principles, then perhaps I can get through this having found a way to share just enough to get the important gist across without sharing anything that could cause this particular person pain or complicate her life.

Not only that, but there’s a spiritual component to the whole mess as well, where I made a promise to god that I wouldn’t share certain things that I felt he’d told me (at his request/direction). It’s all super interrelated.

Granted, I know my belief in god is struggling right now, but as I’m neither willing to embrace nor renounce at this point, my conscience still bristles at the thought of breaking that promise and sharing things I’d promised not to share–not to mention publishing them for the whole world to read… 

So… how do I capture the gist of a story where sharing the details is so important to undertanding a massive 10-year chunk of my life, but that not only might cause pain to someone I don’t want to hurt but would also likely break a promise I made to god?

(sigh)

Lots of pondering indeed.

Anyway, I’m not gonna dive any more into that stuff tonight. It’s been a lighter day, and I wanna leave it that way. If I spend more time thinking about this, I’ll end the day on a sad note, so… I’ll dig back into the other stuff… maybe tomorrow.

Buenas!

~ s