Hey Mom.. can i borrow the car?

I love the ability to just go. It doesn’t matter if it’s the corner store or across the country, my freedom to get to where I need to go makes me feel very secure.  I can walk or take a different form of transportation be it a bike, skateboard, motorcycle, or car (standard or automatic). Now I can add excavator to the list!

How do you feel about being able to get where you need to go when you want to do it? I lived on Vancouver Island for a while, I LOVED it. Victoria is on my list of places I would return to. The only downside for me was that at certain times of the day, there was no way off the island. You were trapped. No plane, no boat, to cold and to far to swim, you had to wait for someone else so you could leave.

That still makes me shudder a little.

I know people who don’t have a drivers license, most of them either live in a larger city, or have a very tight circle of friends and family and don’t often step out of that circle. I also have a few friends that don’t have a drivers license for environmental reasons.

All valid points… I guess.

It makes sense on an intellectual level for me why someone might not have pursued a license, but on an emotional level, I just don’t get it. Having to be depended on someone else to get me somewhere or get me out of somewhere just doesn’t compute.

This week I expanded my repertoire of vehicles that I can drive. You can add excavator to the list. I am certainly not a professional but I get the concept. I asked my instructor Rob (who was AWESOME) if this new found skill would ever come in handy. He pointed out that excavators are used in fighting forest fires, on farms, and if I was ever in an emergency situation where one needed to be moved I could do it!

I like Rob.

Part of my journey on 52NEW is examining how learning something new every week effects a person. As odd as it sounds, because chances are fairly slim I will ever need this skill, I feel slightly more confident in my daily outlook because I can do it.

Weird eh?

I complained for years that I know a little about a lot of things, but I am the master of none. Perhaps one day I will be the master of knowing a little about a lot of things??

A BIG thank you to Pro Taylor Heavy Equipment Training! Rob Goertzen is a wonderful instructor with not only vast knowledge but the perfect combination of patience and sense of homour that makes for a perfect teacher! When you are being taught by someone that exudes that they believe you can do it, it makes a difference! A shout out to Al Gunn from Taylor Pro as well who came out as well to witness the festivities!

A special note to the ladies: If you are watching this and thinking it might be a career path, or a skill you would like to learn give them or OC a call, more and more women are exploring these career choices and doing very well!

In this video you will see the different equipment they have, get an idea of just how BIG it is, I do a fast forward through the training with Rob, I do an obstacle course, and imitate a spinning Christmas tree ornament!

Enjoy the video!

BTW: I have been invited back up to drive the articulating haul truck! (That’s the one with the REALLY big tires!