Route 66-based story
written by OC,SH’s founder, inspired by his September 2009 Route 66 road trip

CHAPTER 34: WORDS TO LIVE BY

The eldest sibling drove from the old train depot land to the family business in silence. His mind was too busy churning with all sorts of thoughts & ideas to even turn on the radio. When he arrived at the business, he quietly closed the Caprice Classic driver door, went inside, nodded to his siblings, smiled at a few people who were visiting, walked into the office & closed the door, leaving his siblings a bit perplexed at his quietness. They looked at each other briefly, but then went back to their respective discussions with the visitors, both figuring they’d find out later what the deal was.

Meanwhile, the eldest sat down at the desk & pulled out the letter his Mom wrote. He skimmed through it once again, noting words near the end of it: “I know you’ll do what is best for yourself, the business & Route 66 in general. I’ve no doubt about that. But, I hope, as you go through the rest of your life, you take time to slow down, take in the scenery, listen to people & make connections. Life isn’t complicated; people make it complicated. I hope you’re one of those who do what you can to make it simple again for you & others.”

He pondered how he could apply that to handling not only what the couple from Illinois had told him but also to the shopkeeper’s obvious distrust of them. But, at the moment, he wasn’t sure how. Instead, he kept thinking about the Route 66 road trip he & his brother would soon begin, & how much he was looking forward to making many of those connections along the way.