cm writes

A lifelong desire of mine has been to write. As a child, I wrote, even though it needed some pizzazz; my abilities were very limited, as you can imagine. Every person has much to learn, and I did that along the road to adulthood. I sure wish I kept them so I could use them for other posts. Fool that I am, I destroyed them. There was a time in my life when the road stretched out for miles, and I followed it from behind the wheel of a truck. Truck driving is not just holding a steering wheel and watching the lines on the highway pass beneath you. It is discipline. It is endurance. It is learning to be alone with your thoughts while the world moves around you. It is early mornings, long days, unfamiliar places, and the quiet strength it takes to keep going when the road feels endless. When I drove a truck, I learned more than how to handle a rig. I learned how to pay attention. I watched the sky change over open highways. I saw towns wake up before most people were out of bed. I learned the rhythm of movement, the weight of responsibility, and the importance of staying steady no matter the conditions. That part of my life shaped me. It taught me independence. It taught me courage. It taught me I could enter spaces where I wasn't always expected or welcomed and still feel I belonged. Every mile carried a lesson. Every trip required focus. Every road demanded respect. Now, instead of carrying swinging meat or boxed goods, I carry stories. The same woman who once watched the highway unfold through a windshield now looks back through memory, reflection, and truth. Writing has become another kind of journey. It is quieter, but not always easier. It asks me to travel inward, to revisit the roads I once walked, the storms I survived, and the strength I found along the way. Truck driving gave me miles. Writing gives those miles meaning. Both require courage. Both require honesty. Both require the willingness to keep moving forward, even when the way ahead is not clear. I may no longer be behind the wheel of a truck, but the road is still part of me. It lives in how I tell my stories, how I remember the woman I was, and how I keep going. From truck driving to telling stories, my journey has never really stopped. It has only changed direction.