Last night, I finished up watching the TV series "That 70 Show" on Netflix. It was kind of sad to see it come to an end. I guess that after eight years worth of shows, you really become connected with the characters and their day to day lives as the show relates them. There have been many other series over the years that I have missed due to the fact that I'm an over the road trucker. And in today's world, with all our new technology, it's great to be able to go back and catch up on some of the things we missed, like complete TV series.
It makes me sad though, thinking back on those lost years. What else we as truckers missed in our lives. The sacrifices we made by choosing a career such as ours. I know our family lives suffer greatly, missing ball games and other school activities. But we try. My son once told me, "For someone that is never here, you sure are here a awful lot". That's because no matter how far away I was, I always tried my best to be as involved with his life as I could be. I'm thinking though, it just was not enough. Not for me anyway. That lost time can never be recovered.
And we lost time with other things people with normal jobs get to do. Hobbies like bowling or golfing, even fishing seems more like a dream to us. When we do get home, by the time you get sat down long enough to catch your breath, the phone is ringing wanting you to leave again for who knows how long this time. But that’s the sacrifice we chose when we chose trucking as our career. Often, drivers do not last long after they figure out just how much time they will be gone from their families. They have a hard time dealing with the loneliness that the highway offers. Others like me find the solitude a peaceful refuge and long for it when we do get home. It take a certain kind of person to do thirty years partly as an over the road trucker.
Thirty years. That’s a long time. Even though I have enjoyed the years I did on the road, I find that I miss very much the time I could have spent with my family and friends. I know that I can never get that time back, but I do try as I can to stay in contact with them. I even made a forum on the internet and invited my whole family to join in. Some did, others did not. At least I made the effort. When I finally do settle down, I think it will be like starting a whole new life, meeting people for the first time that I've known forever. Hopefully then, I will be able to catch up on all the things we as truckers sacrifice as we bring America the products she needs so all the normal people can live their normal lives with their families.
I'm not sad about my choice to be an over the road trucker. It's a life that I have enjoyed very much. It's just that from time to time something reminds me of what I missed had I worked a normal job. Like I said though, that time has passed. All we can do is look forward to one day retiring that old highway. Look forward to re-kindling old relationships and maybe, just maybe, get a chance to go sit on the bank with a fishing pole and actually catching a fish with our grandchildren before that danged phone rings with another load that just has to go.
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