This trucker aging like a fine wine

Seems these days the older I get, the more I want to give back.

My race is far from over, if I have anything to say about it; but I have a growing sense of tolerance and empathy as I age and mature, like a fine wine.

I’m sure that anyone in the business of moving people or freight may feel similar.

Spending years moving people, whether via taxi, chartered bus, city transit or driving trucks, we all share the same experience: that of being contact with people.

We encounter them at their best, when they are walking tall and confident. We encounter them when they are just trudging along; and yes, we encounter them them t atheir at their worst, when they are feeling ill, depressed, hung over and fed up.

I find as I age, I don’t expect much from people anymore.

It’s not that I’m writing them off; it’s just that I have learned over the years that I have to deal with people where they are standing, whether they be high on the mountain or deep in the valley.

As a young man full of gas and gun powder, it was more a question along the lines of “What can they do for me?” Or, “How do I give my best ‘shuck and jive?”

I often shrugged off the concerns of others simply because addressing those concerns didn’t suit my needs. But that’s where aging has wonderful insights.

We fight growing old. For years, we rebel against it; but the years catch up. And yes, the body and the health change. So to do the senses: vision, hearing and the sense of touch.

After pounding the highway in trucks, doing spareboard with a motorcoach and interacting with so many people, I’ve learned alot…about people.

Age gives me the ability to see deep into the hearts of people. Even when they are not at their best. Age helps me overlook what others may see as shortcomings or faults. I like that.

Age allows me to not listen for what “I want “ to hear, but for what “others need to say.” That, too, is good. Without any underlying motive, I can just listen: it’s a skill so many need to learn.

Age has heightened my sense of touch. I find myself reaching out to shake a hand…to anyone, without a second thought It has given me the sense to know when a collegue , friend or family member.even a stranger may need a pat on the back or even a hug. There are moments when you just have to say “Screw social distancing in this case.”

I don’t ask for much these days; don’t need much. Aging has been kind enough to allow me to savor the fine fruits I’ve cultivated thought my life thus far.

These days, this year, after so many miles; so many roads; so many people, I am enjoying the mature tastes of empathy, compassion and tolerance.

And yes….it was a very good year.

Cheers

MLM