Meet My Trucker

 This is my trucker.  My hero.  He is one of the 3.5 million truckers in the United States who braves the cold, frigid winters and the sweltering, hot summers to bring you practically everything you will buy for your family. He is a gentle man, who loves God, his wife and kids, and his job.  He stays relatively calm when you cut him off at a stop light, or move back into his lane too soon, causing him to hit the brakes, slowing down 75,000 pounds in an instant,  to keep from hitting you.  He waits patiently at fuel stops to get gas, sometimes three and four deep, as his clock ticks steadily toward the delivery deadline. He can sit for hours, waiting to be loaded or unloaded, even if he did get there on time.  At the end of "his" day, he has to find a parking spot to spend at least 10 hours out of the driver's seat. Seems like something easy to do, right?  Just pull into a motel.... Wait, no he can't do that because he can't  park a tractor and 53 ft trailer just anywhere. This means he has to find a truck stop down the road, hoping there will be parking spots when he arrives.  Upon arrival, he is met with several other truckers (depending on the time of day) who are, also looking for a parking spot. This can be quite the task, especially  if there is only a few spots open. It becomes a big game of musical chairs, only with trucks.  Tempers can flare, gestures can fly, all depending on the time of day and the current weather conditions.  Did I mention parking one of those rigs??   Once parked, it is time he finds something to eat, and get some sleep, only to get up and do it all over again. Being on the truck with him, I can honestly say that truck stop food is terrible. The comforts of home are lacking in those giant boxes on wheels. These things they do for us, without a second thought, to bring the goods to the people. Folks, if we didn't have these guys/gals, we would not have even toilet paper so readily available.  The next time you see a trucker in a truck stop, thank him.  They need to know how much we appreciate everything they do for us. Oh, I almost forgot, remember to give them the space they need to maneuver that giant machine safely down the highway.

My New Normal....

Little did I know that January 25, 2015 would change my life as much as it has. My husband was heading to Lincoln, Nebraska for his nine weeks of orientation for his new job.  I knew that as a trucker, he would be gone for long periods of time.  I knew there would be long stretches where I  would not be able to talk to him.  I knew all these things.  It was okay because I was ready.  How different could it be?  Boy, was I wrong. If you are reading this and you are a trucker's wife, I am sure you snickered at the above comments, you know that being a trucker's wife is very trying to say the least.  If I told you that it was easy for me, I would be lying.  I had to get use the idea that the American definition of normal was not my normal now. I had to find a new normal. When my husband was home, he would spoil me by taking me to work and picking me up some days.  He would have dinner made when I got home.  I have three grown kids with busy lives of their own, so the house is very quite when they are gone.  That was the most difficult part for me, I think. Getting used to the silence.  Then there is was the constant concern for his safety, was he eating properly, was he getting enough sleep?? 

It has been almost two years since we embarked on this new lifestyle. In those two years, I have been out on the truck with him at least four times.   Believe me, my eyes were opened to what truckers have to deal with every day, all day. I will save that for a later date.  My intent for writing this blog is to give me an outlet to write, but to hopefully be an encouragement to someone else who might stumble on to this site.