Mr. Box Truck

Hidden Treasure of Wisdom

In the salvage yard, about a hundred feet off the road, sits an old, blue box truck. Judging from its condition, the truck has likely been there around half a century. Fading, rusting, and finding its rest as it settles deep into the earth. When the box truck first arrived, its current home was likely an open field. The truck was purchased to simply serve as a storage shed. Pulled into the open field, tucked out of the way, this blue box truck would serve to store parts that would bring other vehicles to life, buying a few more months and years of service to their owners. Over the years, I imagine this blue box truck was used less frequently until weeds and trees slowly consumed it, hiding it in the edge of the forest line that slowly crept forward. The field of old has narrowed to what is now a wooded path, concealing treasures like this old, blue box truck. Hidden about a hundred feet off that path, lesson in wisdom sitting unnoticed until this spring.

Reclaiming the Land

After dad’s passing, our family adjusted to our new lives without him. Dad stepped out of his physical world and into his new spiritual world, and our family stepped into his material world he left behind. Those of us left to mourn also found ourselves with new roles and responsibilities that were part necessity and part therapy. One role that I undertook was cleaning and clearing the once active salvage yard. The land that served as a resource to a small town mechanic who served so many in this community. Those who took time to look, saw the beauty of this man’s heart and the gift of his love, and the wisdom of his life. There was beauty in the everyday steps he took to take care of one person at a time, one car at a time. Step by step, day by day, he gave and loved. When I look at this salvage yard, I see the beauty of the land. The beauty revealed with the clearing of brush, weeds, parts, and vehicles. Reclaiming this land has turned out to be quite an undertaking and quite a teacher. I’ve learned several life lessons from this project and have found great love, joy, peace, and patience along the way. One of my favorite lessons is the reminder to reclaim my “next step” mentality.

Next Steps

I have a burning desire to live life wholeheartedly. To do so, I seek to live each day keeping my wildly important life goal in mind. This goal is to live life better and help others do the same, to value life and to add value to those around me in our pursuit of living better. I also value seeking peace each day with myself, with others, with this world that God so loved. I find it interesting that we often speak of “resting in peace,” but I actually want to live each day in peace. I try to find peace in each step forward, knowing I can’t do it all, but knowing I can always do one more step. I can’t necessarily change the world, but I can always change myself. The process of reclaiming the land has been both arduous and satisfying. Some steps have been simple, such as cutting down brush or removing a few times. Some steps have been challenging, such as unearthing a box truck that has held tightly to the land it claimed. Each step has been greeted with a smile, a moment of peace, a moment of joy. The word “salvage” means to save or rescue, and with each rescue, no matter how challenging, there is an opportunity for joy, for peace, and for a smile.

Gratitude for Mr. Box Truck

He is an unlikely teacher, Mr. Box Truck. I never would have imagined the great lesson he had in store for me. He, along with his fellow salvage companions, have given me a tremendous amount of work, struggle, challenge, and joy. As I write this, Mr. Box Truck still sits nestled in the earth, refusing to budge, literally holding his ground. And that's okay. He is happily resting in peace, and I happily am living in peace. The teacher is providing an education, making the student stronger. I know that someday I will find peace when the land is finally reclaimed, and I know that every day, I find peace along the way.