Driving Through Life - Effect Radio

I’m not a fan of racing or driving—yet my life was surrounded by it.

While I am competitive, I do not enjoy any form of racing.

Running, cars, bikes, motorcycles, skiing; I've performed in/contributed to each of those and continue on my journey to God through most of those same activities.

And- no, this isn’t just about cars—it’s about identity, my family legacy, and finding God’s speed in a world increasingly obsessed with going fast.

Ever since I was fourteen, older adults would ask, "Ryan, are you excited to get your driver's license?!"

My response was usually, "I guess."

Since 1984, I was used to driving a truck on the farm, or our tractor, even the road-grader. When I was a little kid, my Mom, my Aunt Lynn and Uncle Dana, would let me drive their vehicles, and it was usually in the back parking lot of our family's local, Ralph's grocery store on Buena Vista Blvd in Burbank.

It was all at separate times, of course, but I believe my Mom was the first to let me drive her Ford Mustang behind Ralph's and then after my Mom told of this to my aunt and uncle, I was soon driving my Aunt Lynn's Chevy Luv Mikado behind Ralph's, and my Uncle Dana's car of the month. While I NEVER asked any of them if I could drive their vehicles (I was five years old), they wanted to take me on their joyrides with me as their driver. I was a quiet kid and I didn't enjoy driving then, especially when a Ralph's semi truck did a U-turn in that backlot [clearly miles away]; as I just knew I was going to get into a wreck with a huge semi.

So, no- I was NOT looking forward to getting my driver's license here in Idaho.

A friend at school named, Mason- knew I didn't want to get my license, and encouraging me- said, "Ryan! You know when you do get your driver's license, that your Mom and Grandparents are going to send you to the store for them! How cool is that?!" Mason exclaimed, a bit too excited.

I rolled my eyes. I think that was the last day I ever talked to Mason.

I hadn't thought of that. Not only was I set to get a job soon [I'm not dumb, I love television, I knew when you get old that you get a license, a car, and a job to help your family pay for all of those accoutrements]. That's why I stopped being friends with Mason, he was older- had his license and clearly enjoyed driving.

And- being a quiet kid until I was about sixteen, I chose my friends carefully—even as a kid. I wasn’t one to pretend to like you if you didn’t agree with who I was.

So I've never been a fan of driving. Ever. Still am not, but I don't live where I work, so I’ve to make compromises.

With that- many of you don't know this, but I grew up with framed photos all around our home of my Grandpa, Donald C Pruett, in his Chevy Monte Carlo Racecar #66 at Riverside Speedway in Southern California. My Grandpa was a NASCAR racecar driver. I was in awe of my Grandpa. He owned three Cessna 142's at his hangar at Burbank/Hollywood International, now Bob Hope Airport. It's almost a foreshadowing of my future in the airline industry.

I know I'm dovetailing quite a bit, and I do need to keep it short, but growing up in Burbank, CA, I’d watch, "All in the Family," and think, ‘That’s my Grandpa—he’s Archie Bunker!’ And when, Friday nights at 8pm, "Falcon Crest" would come on, I'd honestly think that my Grandma was Angela Channing running a vineyard.

Yes, I was a quiet kid. Softspoken and most every one in my immediate life knew I was shy. And if you had seen me in those early years, you would see a young Ryan in front of the huge Zenith television, trying to wrap his mind around how his Grandma and Grandpa had time to act on television and to have aircraft and to drive racecars. My mind was blown. It still is. I know God is absolutely real; I know His presence in my life and He continues to prove Himself to me everyday, blowing my mind away in awe and wonder of God.

So- yes; I have never loved the rush of racing or the feel of the steering wheel, I’ve always been enamoured by the story behind the wheel—the people, the purpose, and the providence of God guiding me through everything. I may not be a racer, but I’ve learned how to pace myself in a world that’s always racing ahead. And that is more than enough.