Car talk
Nov 11th, 2008 by Accidental Thinker
“Blah blah blah blah blah” is what I mostly remember.
Whatever pearls of wisdom my dad was actually trying to impart have long since fled my brain. All I can say with certainty is that an invitation from dear dad to accompany him solo on some short errand or another was a one-way ticket to the dreaded car lecture.
For some reason, my dad has always loved to dispense “advice” to captive audiences in moving vehicles. And, strangely, I always kind of liked it. Even though I can’t recall what any of the actual lectures were about. It’s not that I wasn’t listening, because I usually was, even when I was defensively interrupting with profound rebuttals that went something like, “I know! I KNOW!” to fend off the unsolicited intrusion into my teenage life.* It’s just that more meaningful to me in the long term is the quality time spent together. I always jumped at the chance for those short errands, even though I knew that a lecture was inevitably part of the deal.
My dad still loves to give advice and I still pretend to agree. Usually followed immediately by doing whatever I want however I was going to do it in the first place. I still love those car lectures, though. Just don’t anyone tell him I said so.
* Not that I ever claim superior knowledge now. Of course not. Never. I am absolutely certain that I have not done such a thing in at least the last 24 hours.
And now we have husbands that also fall prey to this entrapment. You know I almost subjected myself to a 10 hour car ride right before my wedding, but then i realized that just because I was getting married didn’t mean the lecture would end. Now I just get random phone calls, like tonight I got a lecture on making sure i had my 40 quarters clocked in with social security so I will qualify for the benefits….
I think that is a wonderful memory! I also remember times with my father that were a bit dreaded, but I think deep inside me I wanted them. Water skiing. He always pushed me to the limits. MADE me go over the wake. MADE me get up on one ski. But it was his pushing that made me the skiier I am (ok, I’m 47 so maybe the skier I was). And golf. I have very few regrets in life, but one is that I didn’t stick with my golf. My dad pushed so hard I rebelled and quit. I honestly think I could have gone on the tour. HE knew I had the talent, I was just young and stupid. But I still play pretty good. I’ll always cherish those times with him.
I too loved running errands with my dad. I never really thought of them as lectures but as conversations. We had conversations about everything from YooHoo compared to Chocolate Soldier drinks to religion, living together before marriage, and politics. He took me to a foreign country for the first time and to visit the White House during the Iran Hostage Crisis. Cherish that he is still here instilling his wisdom to the next generation. What I wouldn’t give for a one on one with my dad again even just once.