Lessons: Road Trip Edition

Font size is important, but so is the 3 second rule, the scan button on the radio, air conditioning, and the messages you choose to share. My recent mini road trip resulted in a few life lessons:

Do not take air conditioning for granted.

The last hour of my 6+ hour drive my air conditioning sputtered. Sputtered out. It was 90 something with humidity and sun was bright. Ick to the humidity.

But the roads during the last hour snake through little towns, and the roads have trees and shade, so with the windows down I let the breeze fly through. I let the smell of the trees breeze through. I let the sounds of the woods breeze through. And suddenly… I was thankful.

Spread joy however you can.

We have more at our disposal than we think. More platforms than we ever had before… to share. We can share any image. Any message. We can type nearly anything. We can take pictures and slap text on top of them. It’s a powerful combination… the ability to share a message with others. The ability to spread an idea.

Go read the last 10 things you shared with the world online. Consider the last few conversations you had with someone in person or via video. Read the stickers on your car and the signs in your yard.

There are a lot of messages.

This was my favorite one. From an unlikely speaker. On an unlikely platform. They made a choice with the space that they had. You and I have a choice with the space you have, too.

Spread joy however you can,

Meat and cheese sticks are an acceptable breakfast.

Especially if they are made by a local farmer who was lucky enough to have their product carried in the fridge at the gas station. Hand held protein while driving… for the win!

The 3 second rule doesn’t apply to the floor of your car.

Hand held food in the car is great. Until you drop the last tasty bite of that beef stick on the floor board. Do not reach for this while going 74 mph down the highway. Do not reach for this period. Though it is your car, your floor, and only your shoes have been on that surface…. the 3 second rule no longer applies.

Mourn the lost of the last bite.

Mourn and let it go.

Pay attention to small font.

The night before I left for my road trip I decided to make dinner. And I love brats. Beer. Mustard. Even horseradish. So this was an obvious purchase for me. I’ll let you discern which word I failed to read before purchasing this item. Before SMOTHERING my brat and kraut and bun with it. Before identfiying the new slogan for this product “The flavor is good once the burns wears off.”

Marketers: Pay attention to what you put in small font. Lest it result in a customer blog with the potential to go viral (not quite, lol)

Consumers: Read. The whole thing. Read. Not just the headline. Read. Context matters. Without proper context, you will eradicate something. In this case it was my sinuses.

Use music to remember.

When I go on such long drives, I listen to the radio. Like the real original, legit radio. Not streaming audio. I hit the scan button and see what comes up. Depending on where I’m at along that 6 hour stretch, I get mostly country, Christian, and talk radio. Closer to more metro-ish areas you get some pop, and just about everywhere you can find classic rock.

My Sharona came on. Instantly I was babysitting in the basement with Robyn and Katie, teaching them how to play pool and Robyn begging me one more time to play My Sharona. She loved that song and it lasted F O R E V E R. Still makes me smile.

The B52s Love Shack came on. Now I’m in the game room at the bar on our summer resort with my friends putting way too much money in the jukebox and dancing around. Another listen and I’m in my snowmobile suit laughing with my parents’ friends, throwing darts and trying to win stuffed animals from the claw machine.

When the silence doesn’t cut it because your brain won’t shut off.

When the world won’t stop talking about the same things (that are the same things that prevent your brain from shutting off)…

Listen to music. Older music from various times in your life. Let it fill you with memories. Find the songs that make you smirk and smile and remember things you thought you forgot.

Let it fill you with thankfulness.

Let all of life fill you with thankfulness.

The hot mustard. The blown out A/C. The message on the semi.

Be thankful. Spread joy. Repeat.