#fromwhereisit I’m in the drivers seat of my own destiny. Road tripin’ by myself, but not alone as this family truckster is my travelling companion.
I have a tumultuous relationship with this travelling machine. It’s defintely a ‘he’ and he is chauvinistic, not often liking a woman at his controls. He stamps his authority by refusing to allow me to easily move into second gear (apparently he works fine for hubby). He weeps tears through his rusty roof when it rains in a certain direction. He is not compatible with my phone, at all. He has a quirky habit of not starting under certain conditions and demands to be parked with his nose down, or refuses to start at all.
He can be a cool dude with his icy air-con blasting relief on hot days. But his cold heart has proven too strong for any warmth to come from his heater. Despite his flaws, he chugs along at a fair speed, houses a full-sized double bed, generally gets me where I need to be safely, and secretly, I love him.
I’ve never particularly liked driving. It’s always just been a means to an end. I much prefer to sit idly day dreaming in the passengers seat, watching the world pass by. But ever since I discovered podcasts and audiobooks (only in the last few years – yes, I know, I’m a late bloomer) I have relished my time to drive alone.
I still have a penchant for idle daydreaming but I’ve caught that ‘cant waste a second of time, must multitask everything’ affliction of today’s fluxing society. Plus it feeds my healthy appetite for learning and being informed with random facts, just incase I’m ever called upon to join a regular trivia night team (offers welcome, lol).
So today, #fromwherisit cocooned in the family truckster for 3.5hours as I road trip to port macquarie for my half ironman triathlon race on Sunday, I enjoyed the audiobook ‘Goodwood’ by Holly Throsby.
I’ve read reviews that weren’t too flattering and can agree that the drawn out characterisation seemed insignificant to the plot. But I think that was the whole point of the story. It wasn’t so much a mystery of two missing people in a small country town, it was more a time capsule of thoughts, feelings and the very real characters of every close knit suburb in Australia in the mid 1990s. The intimate and insignificant details of characters lives, their homes, workplaces and social interactions WAS the story! I was the same age as the narrator, at the same time as the story, so it was very reminiscent and enjoyable for me!
More than anything, there were so many phrases and descriptions that made visualising the scenarios easy. It makes me want to write more. To learn more and to be better. Not just at writing but at everything.
So even though I have my grievances with the family truckster, he delivered me here safely and allowed me to drive my own destiny. To learn, enjoy and be motivated. Lucky me!
Xk
