Four Miserable Words

Stay in your lane. Succinct as instructions go. One not to be trifled with if social acceptance matters to you. One to ignore if you’re driving in a city of any size or pursuing happiness.

I got my start in life on the farm. My folks were in the dairy business and dearly wanted me to follow in their footsteps. I loved farm life, but also yearned to explore what was beyond the fencerows. As I was about to graduate from high school, the farm economy was fragile to say the least, the future did not look bright for family farmers. Attending the funeral of a neighbor who’d taken his own life when the bank called in his loan and notified him of its intention to foreclose sealed the deal. I decided to change lanes, go to college. Dad disapproved and didn’t hide it. Mom wasn’t pleased either, but mostly kept her feelings to herself.

I struggled some with nagging feelings that I let my parents down. Looking back though, it was for the best. Fresh from finishing college and working briefly as an …