I had the fortunate opportunity recently to check off one of my “bucket list” items. I got to ride in a big rig! I know, it is not everyone’s cup-of-tea and it doesn’t seem like that big of a dream, but almost nearly 40 years in, I never got to do it in my life and I always have wanted to. My friend Dave is a truck driver and he offered to take me on one of his runs, I got to see what it is to be a trucker for a day.

Credit to Dave, he encouraged me to hook up and prepare the trailer to haul, I really got a hands-on experience. While we were riding for 8 hours, I got to ask questions about highway life, rules and regulations. I learned. I appreciated the dangers that lurk on the highways, I understood the reasons for the rules that we have on the road and I felt through my senses the life that a trucker experiences. I got to smell the diesel, I heard the engine roar, I saw the beautiful scenery, I felt rusty cables as I connected them to the trailer and while my sense of taste wasn’t really challenged, my sandwich I took for my lunch perhaps tasted a little different inside the cab of an 18-wheeler!

We often fantasize about the life of others. While my bucket list item of riding in a transport truck remained a dream, I often thought of this profession as one of great freedom. I had always envisioned myself driving a truck and welcomed the thought of being alone with my thoughts for hours at a time. It wasn’t until I got to experience a day in a trucker’s life that I got to understand the true complexities of a job on the road. My dream of driving was dashed, but I couldn’t have been happier. I got to experience a dream. While the experience was positive, I no longer have a dream of driving a truck myself.

I found fulfillment through opportunistic experience.

Our lives are so caught up in dreams that hold us down. Dreams are often seen as positive, but in reality, they are unlived experiences; a negative. If we do not seek opportunities to rid ourselves of our dreams, then we are depriving our lives the chance to experience our thoughts.

Are we really living our lives if we never get to experience our grandest dreams?

Not likely.

X-XC