Road Trippin’

This episode is dedicated to my Nen.

The following content is the script for Season 2 Episode 17 of the Who’d a Thunk It? Podcast.

No recommendation segment this week. No, instead I have some news to break to my dear listeners/readers.

• I work for a big company that is closely related to the academic world.
  • They give great benefits for people seeking to further their education like discounts, tuition reimbursement, and even paying tuition upfront in certain situations.
  • One such opportunity came my way via email a few months back and I decided to apply for a post-graduate certificate in Organizational Leadership.
  • It is just 3 courses to get this certificate, but they aren’t going to be easy. They are post-graduate level after all.
  • Starting next week I will be taking 1 course at a time and if everything goes smoothly, I’ll be done by October of this year.
  • If I get a C average or above my company is going to reimburse me for all the tuition cost (which isn’t cheap).
  • I bring this up because if these courses turn out to be more time consuming than expected, I may be short on podcast episodes.
  • I love doing this podcast and you can bet I’ll be back at it as soon as my classes are finished. I may even keep my weekly schedule during my courses, who knows.
  • But I wanted to give you all a heads up. There’s a chance there will be no more Who’d a Thunk it? Episodes until late October of 2021.

Now, to the main event!

• I talk to my Nen just about every week. She is my grandmother who lives out in Las Vegas and she suggested I do an episode about road trips.
  • It isn’t a typical episode topic for me because it is such a broad topic. But I thought I would give it a try.
• Oxford Languages defines Road Trip as: a journey made by car, bus, etc.
  • I guess it depends on your definition of the word “journey,” but that would mean a trip to the grocery store is a road trip.
  • And I suppose going to the grocery store could be a road trip or journey for me. It depends on the experiences I might have along the way.
• But typically when I think of a road trip I think of making memories with good company over the course of hundreds, if not thousands of miles.
  • I think of jamming out to music like Def Leppard, Biggie Smalls, Lynyrd Skynyrd, or anything the other passengers decide is a good mood booster.
    • I’ll even put on a podcast or maybe just the quite sounds of the road.
  • I love being in a car with good company and the old cliché “it’s about the journey, not the destination” is right on the money!
• I’m not entirely sure if it is just my family or what, but the car is where we do our family bonding
  • We got all of our talking in while driving down the road. We worked through our toughest family strife as passengers of a Ford Pickup or minivan.
  • LOL it is probably due to the fact that everyone was stuck in the car. Luckily no argument was ever bad enough to make one of us jump out of the moving vehicle.
  • But that’s a major reason why I love road trips. Since I was a little kid they meant good music and communicating with the ones I loved on a very deep level. A level that is hard to reach when everyone has the option to just get up and leave the room.
  • And I want to share that meaningfulness with you, my listeners. I want you all to appreciate a good car ride as I do.

Here are some universally good points on why road trips are good for you:

• Traveling allows someone to get away from their bubble. They have more time to think and make healthy decisions.
  • We all know the person who never left their home town.
    • While there is nothing inherently wrong with those people on an ethical level, they do tend to not understand the world around them. And they usually end up spewing their crappy opinions on social media.
  • It is good to get out of your own little bubble.
    • I’m sure your comfort zone is nice, but if you stay in it too long you’ll get soft mentally and socially.
    • A good way to leave your bubble, to get out and see different perspectives is to take a road trip. It is amazing how our little everyday problems tend to shrink and grow quieter when your hundreds, maybe thousands of miles away from home.
    • LOL dealing with your cranky neighbor back home doesn’t plague your mind when your faced with the dire decision of “do I risk using the restroom of this dirty truck stop or do I try and hold it until we make it to the hotel?”
    • These unique situations we find ourselves in while on the road are what help us grow as people in ways we wouldn’t if we were just at home overcoming the same everyday problems we are always faced with.
• Better to spend money and time on experiences than material objects.
  • An Example: I proposed to my girl friend back in February. I got her a nice ring that she will keep for the rest of her life.
    • She mentioned she might get me an engagement gift in return and I still haven’t thought of anything. At first I thought about asking for PlayStation 5, but then I thought how her ring holds so much sentimental value.
    • Whereas a PS5 would just be a toy. A REALLY cool toy, I should say, but essentially just a toy that holds no sentimental value.
    • While Shannon’s ring will last her a lifetime, the PS5 will most likely be obsolete within 5 years when Sony makes a PS6.
    • I know I’m only in my late 20’s still, but I’ve begun to think about what really matters in the big scheme of things.
    • LOL I may end up asking for the PS5 because I can’t think of anything else, but at least the mature thought occurred to me.
  • But the same idea of the Engagement Ring vs the PS5 applies to life as a whole. putting so much time and effort in to material things eventually leaves one empty inside.
    • If a life is spent cultivating meaningful experiences then happiness is much more likely to flourish.
    • And guess what! There is a tried and true formula for creating lifelong memories and friends: the road trip.
    • There is a reason why so many movies, books, and tales are about a journey (the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings, The Revenant, Coming to America, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, etc.)
    • It is because whether you are going on a journey with old friends of complete strangers, you will be forced to overcome obstacles as a team in ways you have never had to before. You’ll be uncomfortable together. You’ll get frustrated with each other, and you will accomplish a goal together (reaching your destination).

• So whether you are the designated driver keeping everyone alive,
  • the co-pilot deciding the next album to play,
  • or one of the backseat bums enjoying the scenery…
  • Remember to cherish the moment.

• Thanks for listening Who’d a Thunkers!
  • Road Trips are one of my happy places. As I get older I’ve noticed there is less opportunities for them, but that just means they are even more special than before.
  • I don’t know the next time you’ll hear from me. Maybe these classes won’t be so bad and I will be back next week!
  • Either way, until next time. Thanks for listening 🙂