Flyover Country…Hardly!

I recently had the pleasure of experiencing what I call “windscreen time” if I can borrow a phrase from the Brits.  What we call a windshield in the U.S., they call a windscreen.  

While Gotta Look Up advocates for reducing screen time, I think windscreen time is a great alternative.  If we spend time looking through our windscreens, that means we are going somewhere, we are seeing things, learning new things, and exploring the world around us.  And you’d better not be texting on that other screen while you’re experiencing windscreen time!

I recently spent four days on the road with my son, driving with him from San Jose, California to Kansas City, Missouri where he has begun attending fixed wing flight school to pursue his dreams.  It is a long haul, but a tremendous bonding experience.  We talked about a lot…past, present, and future.  Good, bad and ugly. We covered some difficult topics and developed a deeper understanding of each other as a result.  I learned a lot about the man my son has become, and I am very proud of him.

I also learned a lot about myself.  I learned that I have been, and still am, a pretty good Dad.  I learned that my kids care about me and want me to pursue my happiness. 

And, I learned a lot about my country.  There is a whole lot of nothing out there…which gave me time to think about everything.  

Many people on the coasts of this country refer to the area that we covered on this drive as “flyover country.”  And while that name might describe it from one perspective, it falls well short of an accurate description.  

You see, within what many call flyover country live people that work in industries that are the foundations on top of which their fellow citizens on the coast build their lives.  I saw farms, ranches, and energy production facilities without which this country could not run, could not feed itself, and could not prosper.  I saw many trucks and truckers, without whom, commerce in this country comes to a standstill.  

Driving all that way, which spanned just over half of the country, I developed a newfound respect for our truckers…even though one of them didn’t check his blind spot and almost took us out!  

So, I will no longer refer to the middle part of my country as “flyover country” because that would mean that my fellow citizens who live in these areas would be “flyover people” and they are far more important to my life to disrespect them with that moniker.  They are critical cogs in our machine and the backbone of this country.  

GOTTA LOOK UP…TO THEM!