It is with great pride that I tender my resignation from auto racing. It's always been my dream to go out on top, and the imaginary applause from the crowd is almost deafening. Frankly, it's all I'd imagine it would be. When I drive into Austin and I see that Red Toyota or that Silver Cruiser that's going to slow or cuts in front of me only to slow down, I immaturely thought, 'I'm going to beat this car.' Having won so many of these so-called "races," I am glad to step down. I'd much rather resign from this racing circuit this way, rather than get taken out by an accident. The chances I've taken to hurry here or rush there have been unnecessary and the risk has not been worth it. Being willing to get somewhere a little bit later and following a slow fuddy-duddy might be frustrating, but in the long run, I'd rather see mewithoutYou in one piece than miss the show in a hospital room.
A brother of a wife of a singer of a fairly local band here was recently in a serious auto accident. This guy has had a kidney re-attached, a ruptured spleen, a punctured lung, broken pelvis bones ... and all kinds of internal damage. It's made me think, 'That could be me.' Sometimes accidents come out of nowhere and are hard to predict, much less defense; but driving carefully and "defensively" can certainly reduce the chances and improve the odds.
Allowing idiotic thoughts of "racing" to get somewhere is totally immature and crazy. It's funny how dumb stuff like that can creep up, though, if you give it any room. So, like Ricky Bobby, I'm going to step down from the racing circuit. I might raise cats instead. I saw a commercial during the Super Bowl one year that showed some cat wranglers in action. That looked pretty cool, and I've got lots of space out here on the HM Ranch...
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at December 11, 2007 09:33 AM