Oh, what a glorious feeling to be full speed ahead into March already! Here comes truck show season and greener pastures! Time to shake off the snow and head to the show!! While we’re on the topic of good times and memorable events, I’d like to encourage you to think about bringing those kiddos along for the ride. Spring break is quickly approaching for many schools, and I cherished the trips I took with my dad during spring and summer breaks. I was completely mesmerized and mystified by the sights and experiences I had in the shotgun seat of dad’s trucks. From big and exciting cities to endless cornfields, from eerie wide-open Nevada nights to thrilling thunderstorms across the plains, I took it all in. I was curious about every place we went and eager to get on to the next place. When I was back at home and doing normal day to day things, I just dreamed about going back out there with dad, longing for the mystique of the open road. I’m truly blessed that my dad understood and embraced that spirit within me. I could have been born and raised in a “normal” childhood deal but imagine all the things I would have missed if I’d been someone else’s kid! I call this one “Mystified!”
MYSTIFIED
By Trevor Hardwick
Sometimes, I get misty-eyed,
Just thinking back in time.
Of all those precious memories,
With that ol’ man of mine.
I guess that I was mystified,
By places that I’d see.
And mystified by trucker-tales,
That my ol’ man told me.
Mystified by shooting stars,
On dark Nevada nights.
And mystified while rolling through,
The New York City lights.
Mystified by white noise,
On the C.B. radio.
And mystified by all the places,
Dad and I would go.
Cell phones weren’t invented yet,
I just gandered through the glass.
As dad, and that ol’ truck and I,
Would watch the world go past.
Mystified by vapors,
Rising off the interstate.
And mystified by souvenirs,
From truck stops where we ate.
Mystified by fancy rigs,
We’d run with, now and then.
And mystified by places,
I may never see again.
Back at home, I’d sit in school,
And daydream ‘bout the road.
My mind, a million miles away,
From what the textbooks sold.
Mama taught me long ago,
To be humble and kind.
But daddy recognized a fever,
Burning in my mind.
Mystified by shadows,
Chasing fencelines in a field.
And mystified by streetlights,
Bouncing off the polished steel.
Mystified by noisy Jakes,
In tunnels, just for fun.
And mystified by mudflap weights,
Just swingin’ in the sun.
Mystified by wipers slapping,
Through a Midwest storm.
And mystified while rolling past,
The rows of planted corn.
Mystified to think about,
The things I’ve seen and done.
And all I might’ve missed, if I’d,
Been someone else’s son.