#lineleader

When I was in first grade, all I ever wanted to do was to be the Line Leader. It probably (okay, fine, definitely) had to do with my dad’s driving philosophy. Speeding down the highway at 90 mph, he’d tell us, “You can either be a leader or be a follower. In this family, you don’t get to choose.”

In awe, we’d watch as the cars he passed drifted farther and farther away into the distance. One day, on our way to Sunday School, we noticed my neighbor’s family driving in front of us. Filled with excitement, my sister and I teased my dad, “Daddy, look! There’s a new Line Leader in town!”

Eager to please us, he sped up. As we drew near to their silver Honda, my friend waved from the window. I waved back. 

Meanwhile, the exit for our school was coming up, and the silver Honda slowed down to 25 mph - which my dad took as a beautiful moment to teach his children a lesson. “When others slow down, that’s when you have to speed up.”

And just as the words left his mouth, my dad did exactly that. Taking advantage of my neighbor’s caution, he daringly rounded the ramp.

And then we fell into a ditch.