I love classic cars. I have never been a motor head, I am not good at fixing them and don’t find any joy in busting my knuckles working on them. I am not the guy who can tell you the differences in headlights, depending on the year, or even what kind of engines and transmissions are standard, I just like looking at them. I think they are beautiful. Every time I see a group of classic car guys driving to a parking lot I am more than happy to follow them to take a look at their pride and joys.
I was recently driving down the interstate heading out for a little R & R in the mountains of North Georgia. I was making great time on Interstate 24 until I began heading up Monteagle. I was in the left lane moving along well and blowing past all the slow moving trucks, until I had to hit the brakes because an 18 wheeler pulled right in front me going 15 miles an hour slower than I was.
I was not a happy camper to say the least. He was barely driving any faster than the 18 wheeler I was next too. What a jerk. It would take him several miles to pass the truck and get back over…this was ridiculous. I started an imaginary conversation with the driver in front of me that went on for a several second until I realized something.
The 18 wheeler next to me was a car hauler and it was full of classic cars. My mood changed instantly. I slowed down and no longer worried about blowing past the “jerk” in front of me. In fact, I took my time looking at each car on the transport. They were beautiful.
After the road was cleared and I was able to move on, but I was in a completely different mood. That’s when it hit me, if I had continued to focus on the truck in front of me I would have completely missed the classic cars. How often do we do that? How often do we spend so much time focusing on the negative that we completely miss the beauty that is right in front of us? Next time something slows you down, take a look around and enjoy the view.