Reverse is what we do when we change direction, and it’s not always something that we enjoy doing, but we have to do it anyway.
For some reason I was thinking of what to write for the Letter R, and the word Reverse came to me, and with it the memory of my Dad telling me many years ago about when he learned to drive, which was either just before the Second World War or during it.
It must have been when I was learning to drive in my teens that he told me this, although I seem to think it was earlier than that, so maybe when my Mum was learning to drive, but anyhow exactly when isn’t relevant to my story.
Apparently the old car he used to drive back then, which something inside is telling me was an Austin 7, used to be low powered like many old cars, and it was very hard to get up steep hills. My Dad said that several times, because Reverse was actually lower than First gear, he had to reverse the car up a hill in order to reach the top.
It seems amazing in this day and age that people had to do that, but then only a few years before, we relied on horse power and to a lesser extent steam power.
I do remember when I was much younger, in single digits for sure, that when my Dad used to take us out for a drive in the country, and he used to love to drive and just see where the road took us, that we would quite often see Traction Engines, great lumbering steam powered Steam Rollers with huge wheels, that used to block the narrow country roads and cause traffic jams.
We also used to get a lot of hold ups in those days as well when driving in the country and the farmers had to move the cows or sheep from one field to the other, which invariably meant moving them into the road, down it and across the other side.
Those were the days, when it was fun just to sit in the car and wait while a hers of animals was shepherded down the road in front of you, a sight that you so rarely see in rural England these days.
Of course this all has little to do with reverse, and I have a feeling that my Dad (who passed away 5 years ago) was trying to tell me something. Maybe it will all make sense to me later this evening.
As I wrote that I felt it might have something to do with reversals that I have made in my life, and I have made a few, notably getting divorced twice.
Who really knows the power of thought, and although the content of this post is now not really related to the word Reverse, one thing I am not going to do is to back up and change it.
Your post brought back reverse thoughts for me too (memories). Firstly, to reverse a car, we say gostan. Which is a weird, non-Malay word. The word must have come from go astern, and somehow became gostan for reversing a car in certain northern Malay dialect – like people from Penang! (I am from Kedah, a state that once Penang was a part of.
Being driven around when I was little, I remember loving putting my face out the window and getting a scolding from my Mom and we would always had to stop at the river and wait for the car ferry. We still have to wait for cows to cross on roads near my house because we live in in the boondocks.
Ocean Girl recently posted..The Quran
It sounds like “go astern” could have been an origin, as that would be a more common term years ago. It’s funny how words like that evolve.
tony recently posted..Article Publishing Summary 18th April 2011
At times I wish I could reverse my, go back to a certain point and make minor changes. Nothing big, mind you, because out of the worst parts of my life, came some of the most important things (and people) in my life, but minor infractions that caused major headaches – those I would like to reverse my life to change. My current A-Z Challenge blog is http://myheartblogstoyou.blogspot.com/2011/04/reading-les-miserable.html
Theresa Wiza recently posted..2 Great Links from 2 Great Writers
oops – reverse my (life)
Theresa Wiza recently posted..2 Great Links from 2 Great Writers
Going up a steep hill in reverse might make one feel more secure. I remember driving up some very steep hills and worrying that if I stopped I’d roll backwards to whatever fate had down at the bottom.
Great story.
Stephanie V recently posted..A – Z Challenge- Quiet or Quietude
Sometimes we have to Reverse our course in order to get to our proper destination.
Great meeting you through the A-Z!
nutschell
http://www.thewritingnut.com
Sometimes in order to get to where we’re meant to be, we need to shift our focus, or Reverse certain decisions.
Great meeting you through the A-Z!
nutschell
http://www.thewritingnut.com
A very enjoyable story about driving with your dad. I like how you took a turn which developed into a powerful ending! Julie
Julie recently posted..Jerks with Quirks
I’ve never seen someone doing reverse going up hill. I might try that sometime and see how it feels
I think that we do whatever works just to reach our destination or goals, even if we have to do reverse just to get there.
I enjoyed reading your post.
Lorena recently posted..R – List of Low GI
When I was little, we had a 1953 Chevy whose transmission went out while we were at the shore. The only thing that worked was Reverse. There was no phone in the cabin we rented, so Dad had to find a phone and call someone to come get us. A friend of his drove the car back, in reverse, when it was dark so we wouldn’t have to pay tow charges. The drive normally took 90 minutes. I can only imagine how long driving backwards took. This looks just like that car. 1953 Chevy
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Oops – the closing HTML for the italics didn’t work.
If only life had a reverse button, but then what would we wouldn’t learn by our mistakes. However, we should all slow down and not go so fast.
oops…see, going too fast. LOL
Should have been, but then we wouldn’t learn by our mistakes.
If everything on my road led to here, then I’m OK with it all.
There are a few things I wish I could reverse, but I can’t.
Mary recently posted..Reality versus Fiction
Your Dad’s story says to me that even when we reverse ourselves for whatever reason, it can still be a means of going forward. Thanks for sharing.
L.L. Woodard recently posted..Renaissance
Hi Tony, just another A-Zr dropping by to say howdy. I’ll get to them all… if not in this lifetime.
This is a very touching story – although I can’t even imagine driving up the hill in reverse. When it comes to my life, I would never – or for any reason want to go back. Rather, I’m happy to go forward and to be able to appreciate everything I’ve learned so far, including from the people who hurt me…
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I have to wonder if I’d really do much differently, given the chance to go in reverse. Probably not, unless the situations themselves were different.
Word Nerd recently posted..Reflections
LOL – We still get stopped by cows or sheep every once in a while
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My dad told me the same story, so it must be true!