Running on Fumes

When I was a kid, my dad had this ’64 Chevy pickup that I’d ride with him in every Saturday morning, on our way to his tractor shop in McKinney. Sometimes, he’d say, “We’re running on fumes,” and I knew that meant we’d be stopping for gas before we reached our destination. Back then, gas stations only sold gas, so it was just a delay with no hopes of him buying me a snack.

This seems like a good week to talk about “Running on Fumes” because roughly half the country is depressed that their candidate didn’t make it into the Whitehouse and they don’t see much hope for our country reaching whatever destination they had in mind. I even read that some dumb-ass psychologist is counseling people to avoid family members over the holidays who didn’t vote like them.

My question is, “Where are we getting our psychological tanks refilled?” Were we really foolish enough to put our hopes in politics? Politicians come and go with minimal impact on our day-to-day existence, but relationships put the gas in our tank that gets us through the next planetary rotation.

So, do we have genuine, mutually uplifting relationships, or do we just have a bunch of transactional one-on-ones? I’ve had friends who were into the whole “Kindness” movement (translated enablement and appeasement) but were really just looking for some quid pro quo. I’ve also had friends who claimed to know the God of creation but treated me no different than politicians I’ve known.

The worst part of all this is that if I’m honest, I have to admit that I’ve been that crappy “friend” to a lot of people in my life. That has to change. The beauty of genuine relationships is that they aren’t based on philosophical agreement or mutual goals. They’re based solely on the intrinsic value of the individuals involved.

If I honestly understand that you (yeah, “you” the reader) are someone created in the very image of the Author of the universe, it’s kind of hard for me the be judgmental about this current chapter of your life and whether or not it coincides with my current chapter. When I understand that your past chapters are dissimilar to mine, it even gets easier to overlook our differences — even if you don’t think (or vote) like me.

How do we get to the place where relationships don’t have to be 50/50 transactions? And, assuming we’re willing to give a hundred percent without expecting anything in return, where do we get our own tanks refilled when we’re running on fumes? I know a place, and they even have snacks.

A meeting of great minds who think alike