Memory from the Future IV: Passing the Wheel

I remember my mother

forcing me to learn how to drive.

I didn’t want to.

I would whine…

complain…

find every excuse not to sit in that seat.

But she made me anyway.

At the time,

it felt like pressure.

Like she was being hard on me.

But now I understand…

She wasn’t being hard.

She was preparing me.

There is a wisdom in preparation.

Even the ant prepares for winter—

gathering what will be needed

before the season changes.

And so do we.

Not in fear…

but in love.

Years later…

I found myself

in that same seat.

Teaching my daughter

when her brothers went away to college.

And I saw it in her.

That hesitation.

That quiet fear.

That same uncertainty I once carried.

But within a week…

She became a natural.

Because what was once taught to me

had already taken root in her.

That’s how legacy works.

It doesn’t always feel gentle.

Sometimes it stretches you.

Pushes you.

Prepares you for roads

you don’t yet see.

And now…

I find myself thinking—

Maybe we should take a road trip.

Nothing grand.

No big destination.

Just the three of us.

Driving…

laughing…

stopping when we feel like it.

Making memories

while we still can.

Because sometimes…

Preparation isn’t just about

what’s coming.

It’s about making sure

we don’t miss what’s here.