As a child, I was always around muscle cars, hot rods, and street machines. That sparked my interest, so that today, I am more into cars than most girls. My dad does custom restoration and paint work so there are days that his shop looks like a museum. We attend car shows a lot during the summer with our 1967 Camaro. Aside from being able to tell the make, model, and year of cars, growing up with that influence made a difference in who I became. I learned a lot of lessons in unconventional ways.

Respect for other people’s things

When someone pays a lot of money to have something look flawless, it is important to teach kids not to touch it. I learned that early on. As a child, it was hard for me to understand the “look but don’t touch” idea, but I knew that I shouldn’t touch things that weren’t mine.

Don’t be jealous

Sometimes, people have nicer cars than ours. And that’s okay. I learned to always be happy with what I have and not to want what other people have. Maybe someday I can have that flawless Shelby Mustang, but I’ll be happy with what I have until then.

Don’t judge a person by appearances

This is one of those cliché “don’t judge a book by its cover” things, but it really was an important lesson to learn. Some of the people that I encountered at car shows were dressed in what some may consider dirty clothes, may speak a little crudely, and may be just plain weird. Other people dressed in pressed khakis, collared polo shirts, and expensive boat shoes, and naturally came across as rich snots. No matter what the appearance, those people that I met were often the most talented artists, and the kind of people who would do anything for you.

Appreciate art in all forms

If you aren’t familiar, there is almost always music from the fifties and sixties playing at car cruises. It may not have been music I had listened to if I hadn’t gone to cruises, but because I did, I gained appreciation and actually a liking for older music. Additionally, each car was a different piece of art, whether it be in the body work, paint job, pin striping, air brushing, etc. Its art that is often over looked, but in reality is very difficult and takes a lot of talent.

Self-control, focus, and discipline

As I came of age, my dad taught me to drive the Camaro. It’s a big block, high horsepower car, so even though it’s an automatic, it’s still a task to drive. It takes self-control knowing that you have the ability to go extremely fast. It takes focus knowing that it takes a lot longer to stop a car with that much power. It takes discipline to be able to control a beast like that among crowds, heavy traffic, and when the motor heats. You can’t be nervous, foolish, or nonchalant.

Pay attention to detail

Occasionally, we would enter our car into shows to be judged. While preparing for judging, we would clean, polish, or shine every visible surface, and even some that weren’t. in order to win, your car has to be better than all of those other cars. It takes a lot of work to maintain a vehicle, especially one that you would like to win trophies with.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

As much fun as it is, as much money as is put into it, at the end of the day, it’s still a car. It will break, it will cost money, and it will need regular maintenance like fluids and registration. If something breaks, remember that it is still a car. Have fun, but don’t let little misfortunes and break downs keep you from the road.

Don’t take any day for granted

In addition to car cruises, we attended a few drag races. Although I never experienced one live, there are a lot of accidents in drag racing. And although they are just cars, they need to be respected for the power and danger that comes with them. It’s so easy to get too relaxed or to make a mistake, and if it happens at 100 miles an hour, you could be in serious trouble.

Take time to relax and have fun

Even though working on cars is my dad’s job, he still enjoys going to cruises just to talk with old friends and relax. It’s important to separate work and relaxation.

These are lessons I hope that every one learns. I may have learned them in a little different of a setting than most, but I am thankful that growing up around cars taught me so much. After all, life is an open road. Get as many miles out of your tires as you can.