Happy New Year, everyone! This is a time for new beginnings and resolutions. Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to catch up with friends and family over the Holidays. It can be difficult to get quality time with our loved ones when we are on the road so much, and yet it seems all too easy to let too much time go by between visits. I have a hard time feeling separated from my closest friends – what a treasure and a gift that true friends are! But, the nature of long-haul trucking can strain relationships over time. Thank God we now have convenient ways to keep in touch, and a simple text or phone call can close the gap of all the miles we spend apart. To be candid, I recently experienced a situation that caused what feels like a chasm between a friend I dearly love and myself. And, while I may handle the most difficult challenges that this job can throw at me, I have a hard time handling being separated from my friends, even if it’s only temporary. If you find yourself relating to this situation, I suggest doing whatever it takes to hang on to the people you’re missing the most. Heck, make it your New Year’s resolution to strengthen the bonds you have, before you find yourself missing someone who may not even realize how much they mean to you. This poem is dedicated to my Friend.
MISSING A FRIEND
By Trevor Hardwick
I can take the driving rain, and the flooding that it brings.
I can take the bitter cold, of winter, when it stings.
I can take what Mother Nature, has around the bend…
But I can’t weather distance from a friend.
I can haul a heavy load, and get it there on time.
I can also pull my weight, over any hill I climb.
I can carry heavy burdens, almost anywhere…
But parting with a friend’s too much to bear.
I could add a few more miles, to a never-ending run.
I’ve subtracted many years, to get some truckin’ done.
I can handle all the hard work, multiplied by 10…
But I can’t take division from a friend.
All I ever wanted, was to get out on the road.
Usually I’m eager, just to pull another load.
I would act like I’m just fine, but I cannot pretend…
I just want to get home to my friend.