I want to continue a theme that I had started a few week
back, when is a truck more than just a metal storage bin on wheels?
Answer, always.
This past week marked a very important holiday for all of America
and then a very important holiday here in Michigan.
November 11th was my uncle’s birthday, but more importantly
for myself as well as everyone else, November 11th was Veteran’s
Day, where we take some time as a nation to recognize those who have served in our
country’s armed forces having made the highest commitment to ensuring our
freedom.
I personally want to recognize my father, who served as a
field medic in the Army during the Vietnam War, and my Grandfather who served
as a firefighter in the Air Force during the Korean War.
Just a few short days later, November 15th was
opening day for Rifle Hunting of Deer in Michigan, where countless Michiganders,
after tireless preparation readying their rifles, their deer blinds, their
breakfasts and coffee and snuck off in their trucks deep into the woods to
patiently await their chance to bag a deer.
Now I am not much of a hunter myself, but I still feel that
it is important, and my duty as a Michigander to make the trip up north for
opening day. Besides, anytime there is a way for me to hop in a truck and sit
in the silence of nature, potentially for hours, sign me up.
The family and I drive up to my wife’s grandparent’s house
near Manistee the night before and enjoyed a community dinner, the next morning
my wife’s grandpa Ken starts the truck up at 7am and all the boys hop in and
head for their blinds.
Two shots ring out at 9:04am from the blind on the east side
of the property, followed by one shot from the west blind at 9:09am. In a rare
stroke of success both groups had managed to catch a deer in their crosshairs,
not only on opening day which is exciting, but within two hours of arriving at
their blinds. After a quick field dressing, Robbie and Wes threw their kills in
the bed of the truck and tried to think of what to do with the rest of their
day!?
As much fun as it is to relive that, I want to clarify something
before concluding, I know I spent a bit more of my focus on Deer hunting than I
have on either trucks or veteran’s day, but please do not assume that I find
those two things any less important for that is simply not the case.
I really just wanted to build a better picture to show how
these three things while seemingly independent really represent the same thing.
Freedom
