Heavy (truck) thoughts
Most of us have been in the situation where something familiar has ended; A relationship or job maybe. Sometimes its end has been self-created and at at other times enforced upon us. Either way one finds themselves "out of the room with the door firmly closed" so to speak...It's at that point we have the choice to see it as a closed door and something lost, or to look around and realise we're now in a hallway full of more doors...And opportunity. It can be an exciting time for those with the right attitude and a destructive time for those without...
But what happens when the thing that ends is more final in nature? When the door that closes leaves one locked out and unable to open the others. It happened to me this week. Ok, so to be totally honest, the door that closed isn't very profound at all and life goes on, but it still sort of reached inside and twisted me up a little bit. Here's what happened...
It all started on a fine March day in 1970 when I emerged from within my mothers womb and into the world...So I don't bore you I'll fast forward a little...😂
From a young age I'd always wanted to be a fireman and as the Metro Fire Service (MFS) didn't prefer very young lads (no women allowed back then either) I waited until I was in my early 20's before I embarked on my journey.
A requirement was that one had to have a heavy truck license and a Level 1 first aid certificate prior to application which weeded out the non-believers. So, off I went to attain both. Just for perspective, a heavy truck license here means non-articulated trucks. It would permit me to drive most fire appliances, but not the snorkel (articulated ladder truck.) Anyway, I got both and was on my way to becoming a sexy-hot fireman. src
This is when the rungs fell out of the ladder so to speak.
I'm not going to elaborate here however something got in the way and prevented me from joining the MFS. I was crestfallen. All my life, as long as I could recall, all I ever wanted to do was become a fireman. But I couldn't and never would.
I was 22 years old and had a good job, played American football, was strong, fit and healthy, had a hot-blonde-fiancé I was due to marry in a year and a pretty good life overall...But I was depressed because my ability to do the only job I'd ever wanted to do was taken away.
Each year from there I maintained my heavy vehicle license which needs renewing each year. I guess maybe deep down somewhere in my noggin was the hope that maybe my fireman dreams may come true. Every year I'd do the paperwork and pay for it, and each year would go by without me ever having to drive a heavy truck. I didn't drive trucks for a living then, or ever.
Fast-forward to January 2020 and here I am...With no heavy truck license anymore. Yes, I finally let it go this week. I now only hold an LT license which permits vehicles up to 8 tonnes.
It was a difficult thing to be honest, and it brought up feelings of regret over the situation that prevented my entry into the MFS, not that much was within my control in that scenario though. Not being a fireman has always been one of my biggest regrets and saying farewell to my heavy truck license brought some emotions bubbling to the surface. I'm ok though, don't worry...Just lamenting something that could never be...I'm not going to resort to self-harm or excessive ice cream eating to drown my regrets.
My license-change is final, no corridor of fresh doors to open...I could regain it of course, by going through the testing again, but why would I do so? What's to gain? I only retained it out of stubborn pride in the first place and have no need for it. My fireman dreams are just that, dreams not goals, now.
I tend to maintain a pretty good attitude mostly. I mean, there's times when I get down and out, but I have techniques to improve a bad attitude and so generally I go ok. The same can be said here in this case I guess, and to be honest I'm probably being a little dramatic about it all...But hey, we're all entitled to our moments right? I'm sure you'll allow me this one.
So, tell me...Have you ever had something taken away against your will or outside of your ability to influence? Any fireman-type dreams of your own? I'd love to hear about them and how you worked around it...Oh, by the way...
...Need a heavy truck driven around? Don't call me y'all. Can't help ya!
Tomorrow isn't promised - Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default
An original post written by a human
Discord: galenkp#9209 🇦🇺
I'm keeping tabs on your ice cream consumption 😜. I once came across a rare vehicle I had been looking for for some time. It was some 50 years old and all original though rather worn out. I had contacted the owner and was told I had first option to buy it. Early the next morning I traveled some 150 kilometres out to see the vehicle. When I got there the owner said he just sold it a couple of minutes ago. To say I was not happy would be putting it politely 🤣. So much for being told I had first option and wasting most of my day and fuel cost etc I told him off👍
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I'll be good I promise! Ice cream consumption will be stringently monitored and rationed...Mostly. 😇
Oh yes, that would rile me up man, that car scenario you mention. Told him off huh? Is that code for throat punched him and kicked him in the nuts when he dropped to his knees? Naw, you wouldn't do such a thing, you're too nice.
It must have pissed you off though. I would have been pretty mad. But...I'm hoping that that door slamming you in the face left you in a situation when other opportunities presented themselves...Or you karate-chopped his ass at least! 😁
Lol I thought about giving him a beat down😁 And yes I did get something else even better some time later. I have learnt that not to be worried about things like that as when you look back in life you can see that it work out better. At the time it can feel bad though.
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Good philosophy...Save your smack-downs for when you really need them...A bloke only has so many decent ones in him. 💥🙈🤣
I should have a few left in me then🤣
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You know what this means....?
When You visit, We will have to stick to the back roads, ally ways, and lock in the power divider and go off roading with the Prime Mover.... LoL
Maybe this little story will make You feel less like the Huge Failure that You are NOT.
@pooky-jax sent this to Me this morning. Not sure where to cite the src. But it is watermarked so a "PLAGY" I am not.....
Yeah, letting my HT go means I'll not be able to drive your rig...Legally. still, I'm sure we can work out an arrangement. Maybe get Bert Reynolds to drive ahead in a Trans-Am and look out for Smokey.
Hmm, I'm not sure about the legitimacy of the cat story. An eastern Brown snake that size (a small one) would still have enough venom in a bite to incapacitate a human in about 20 minutes and without antivenom that person would die. Not sure how a small cat would escape those same symptoms. It's hard to imagine it all played out quickly enough to save it, and grab photos along the way. Looks like fake news to me. I could be wrong.
Those snakes are deadly huh..? Like the Water Mocs/Cottonmouth that try to move into our pond from time to time.
My Mariner 12 ga. helps Me remove them...... In pieces. Makes turtle food out of them. https://chuckhawks.com/compared_mossberg_remington_marine_shotguns.htm
That might be how we lost #5 of the Ferals we care for that our horrible ex neighbors threw out like trash when they were forclosed on.
"Booboobutt...."
Is what we called him.
(He had an open wound on his ass when We first adopted him)
He was the tamest and only one we could pet / touch. That is probably why He is gone. He liked snakes too...
Sammi Jo knows how to ride shotgun......
Here is an old photoshop i made years ago....
I'm not a big fan of snakes...Don't see the point of them and here we have deadly ones...So yeah, they ain't my favourite thing. You took that photo of the cat and snake? What was the outcome there?
Smokey and the bandit...and Sammi Jo. Lol.
@pooky-jax rescued the black snake. A good, non ven snake. I think She told Me that it happened more than one time.?
Wow, ok, she's a better person than I am. All snakes dont agree with me. They're creepy and I don't like them. 🙂
I am only an advocate for the black snakes cuz they keep all others away! A good snake of there is such a thing. 🐍
Yes, that makes sense...But snakes, and spiders, aren't my thing. Creepy bastards.
Life hasn't really taken anything I value, at least not yet, but that might just be because I've learned not to value anything the world can take away. Professionally I've always been flotsam on the tide. I kind of like it that way.
That's what makes us homo sapiens - Cognitive thought. It allows us to all think and act as we deem fit. Keeps it interesting.
I've lost plenty in life, some which I thought the world couldn't take and others...Just goes with the territory of being human. One of the most difficult is relationships lost, or get taken away. That can be a difficult one to accept, but accept it we must.
Yes, @svitlaangel has lost some friends over 2019, by the looks.
You're allowed to be disappointed/upset/angry/etc about stuff that happens that you didn't want. You're not allowed to dwell on/obsess over it forever. Well I suppose you can if you want but you don't because you know there's no point ;D Just remember you can be "negative" about it without that in and of itself necessarily being negative.
Does it count if you never had something but you want it desperately but it's so out of reach your best will never be good enough? I had this dream lifestyle that I wanted to achieve five years ago and couldn't make it happen. I still rage about it (mostly internally but it's enough that I get a splitting headache from it) every now and again but mostly don't care anymore and just keep plodding along generally making things up as I go out of sheer spite XD
I actually don't stress out about it being a rather pragmatic guy. Didn't happen, won't happen, move on tends to be the way I act. I regret it, but not to the point of letting that regret spill over into affecting now and the future. It's like my career as a fighter pilot that never happened...Move on. Lol.
It is what it is and there's no point dwelling too much on it as that just means one's now and future may be tainted by that regret.
I make things up as I go along, but add in some goals and plans along the way. I'm not about to complain about my life, I have a good one.
So you're good only up to 8 tones, dang, how much does a firetruck weigh anyway?
"excessive ice cream eating!" lol..that usually does the trick for me too!
8 tonnes is still a fairly big truck, so I'm ok with it...Was just being dramatic for my post. Lol.
An average appliance could weigh around 16 tonnes or a little more. The larger are up to about 28 tonnes and are often articulated; These are mainly ladder trucks.
Very interesting sir galenkp, I knew that 8 tons sounded pretty big but those big boys are huge!
Yeah, 8 tonnes is big enough I guess. Driving something like krazzys truck is something else altogether. I take my hat off to those guys and gals.
I do too, I love driving on long trips at night because it's mostly truckers but he thinks they're pitiful drivers these days.
Yeah, I know...Truckies (truckers) of old are a dying breed. It used to be they needed to be able to drive a Road Ranger gearbox, these days they're mainly automatic transmission. Still, that's progression for you I guess.
I guess so. I'll have to ask krazzytrukker but it seems to me like accidents involving big rigs like his are occurring at an alarming pace these days.
Yeah, I know...Possibly due to unrealistic deadlines, other idiots on the roads and innatentive phone-driving?
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