“Afloat” Image. Ceres Gallery. New York. Solo Show.
Tonight I am going to a Holiday business dinner. I imagine these types of parties are going on all over the world at this time of year. Probably on this Saturday night.
My husband is in the transportation business.The people who will be at the dinner are truck drivers.
I am looking forward to it.
I went to one of these parties years ago. I have never been to a event before or since, where I was with a group of such self aware people. The drivers were at ease with themselves and calm. We don’t get to experience calm in people or places anymore.
I have a theory about this. The average person today is under assault all the time. If we are not checking emails, texts or answering our phones in traffic, we are on hold while some obnoxious advertisement for the business we are calling is blasting in our ear. Then the screechy music and “We’ll be right back; thanks for holding.” The loop starts all over again about their business. In our ear. While we are waiting to talk to a more “personal” voice mail of the person we called.
The pharmacy like all other buildings has banned silence. Sixties and Seventies music. (I guess it is assumed that the demographic is the boomers getting their laxatives or prescriptions filled!)
The grocery store now has a quota the checkers have to meet: How loud and fast they can squish the cans of chili into the prebagged lettuce. This sort of thing has given me heart palpitations.
What happened to quiet? People have to go to hot yoga to detox from all the noise and anxiety in our society!
Not so with the truck drivers. They have time, free from incessant head banging, being able to think their own thoughts. They can listen to books on tape! They drive deep into the night, with quiet or noise (of their own choosing.) Contained in their pod. Their eighteen wheeler acts as a space where, although they are constantly aware of everything going on around them on the road, they achieve a sense of themselves that is necessary to their job.
I look forward to being with this refreshing group of people tonight!
I hope you have a great evening, Hollis! I often thought I would enjoy the solitude of being a long distance truck driver, but driving anything larger than my Honda, freaks me out. 🙂 Love the picture, it includes all of my favorite color.
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I have a fear of driving a truck too. Not that I carry it around like a phobia, but I cannot conceive of it. The party was unusual. Not what I expected. More of a dance party. A lot of fun. I have a video of my husband (not the dancing type) dancing!! Thanks for the comment!
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I’m glad you had a fun time, Hollis. Hang on to that video!
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Yeah, maybe for the company newsletter? Or just to have and use as hidden ammunition.:)
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Jill: I wanted to connect with you. I will be posting soon. But there was a death in my family four days before Christmas and I haven’t been able to maintain the same level of writing I did before it happened.
I am trying to stay connected to people by responding to their work, so I hope I am still on your list. I will check my reader every few days and I will comment on your interesting posts! Then one of these days, I will be back in full swing. I love to blog. It has been hard to give it up! (But I have not been myself) Hollis
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Oh Hollis, I’m so sorry for your loss. I hope you’re doing okay. A loss is always difficult and so close to Christmas…I’m truly sorry.
I appreciate you reaching out, I’ve missed your posts, but I certainly understand given the circumstances. I post every Friday.
Again, I’m really sorry. I miss your smiling face and I hope to see you back soon, but when you’re ready.
Take care of yourself…you’ve been missed.
xo
Jill
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Thank you Jill!
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Sounds like a great group of people.
Truck driving would be a nightmare job for me as tendency to get sleepy on long journeys. I imagine drivers need to be careful about getting enough sleep and not pushing themselves too hard out of hours to make sure they are fit for the road. Another reason to admire.
Is that a picture of a small springy robotic person being run over by a large red sphere?
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Not sure about the springy robotic person, but I am sure about the drivers needing sleep! The party turned out to be amazing in that it was mostly a dancing bunch!!!!! A ten piece band and I have a video of my husband dancing with this very unusual woman. It was not the “in-touch” spiritual type of event I thought it would be. More a spiritual type of event. In celebration. A lot of fun!
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A good friend of ours started his working life as a truck driver – he is one of the nicest people I know – laid back and practical. It had never occurred to me before that maybe the profession he chose helped to bring these qualities out.
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Thanks for that story!
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You probably put as many miles on your car as a truck driver! Hope you had fun.
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121,000 miles. Of city driving. Yes we had a lot of fun! If dancing to a wonderful band (one of them was in the Coasters, remember them?) is yours and my idea of being in touch with ourselves, we had it!!!!! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
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