1460 Days

JAMES D. ROUTLEY

May 19, 1939 - April 9, 2006

“All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time.” - Paul Fussell




My father always seemed happiest when he was behind the wheel of something, especially if there was a long, open road in front of him. Sometimes his adventures were on his own, but most of the time it included friends and families. The only rule on his journeys was you had to follow a different path then taken previously. The trip wasn't a success unless we discovered something new.

1460 days ago my father took his final journey, but his messages about the road live on with those he left behind.

Not a day goes by that I don't think of him and his lessons. It happens almost every time I get behind the wheel of my car. No matter where I am headed, I automatically run through the various paths I might take. Or, as I'm driving, I find myself turning down a road I've never been on, just because I wonder if I'll discover a new route.

I know these little adventures don't sound like much, but for dad it was, and for me it is, about the moral of the story.

Life is too short to do the same things over and over again. Make each day an adventure. Discover something new. Even if it is only a few miles from home.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain