Many people have had to compromise. I’m one of those people, too. When we’re young, we see our future in a linear direction, but there are many pit stops, U-turns, and flat tires in life. Like many people, I’ve had to compromise on my dreams… but compromising does not mean you’ve given up. It means things have changed.
Just four years ago, I was a perfectly healthy young adult. Today, after many doctors and tests, I struggle with normality because of thyroid disease and a channelopathy disorder like Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis. Having your life change so profoundly warps your perception of the world. It crushes your self-esteem. It isolates you. But the worst thing you can do, in my opinion, is let those changes break you. Instead, change should be used as a source of strength. No matter the obstacles, if you’re passionate about something, you will find a way to participate. That’s exactly what Polish drifter Bartosz Ostalowski did after he lost both of his arms in a motorcycle accident. He could have said, “No, I can’t drive. I don’t have arms.” (Well, whatever that translates to in Polish). Instead, the double-amputee continues to drift cars with incredible talent and skill. He drives with his left foot, accelerates and brakes with his right, and changes gear with his shoulder.
It’s important to remember, though, that like any drivers, those with disabilities must show competency and safety behind the wheel. While many people may not see racing drivers as athletes, they are participating in a physically demanding sport which requires incredible attention, strength, and endurance.
Italian race car driver Alex Zanardi has been a race winner in the FIA World Touring Car Championship series. He’s also a Paralympic gold medalist. He accomplished all of this and more after a collision in 2001. Zanardi lost both of his legs but continued to persevere and participate. Often, we need to participate to prove to ourselves that we are still whole people with value and purpose. The challenge of tackling obstacles helps the emotional healing process after your life has been altered beyond recognition. Many newly diagnosed people go through the stages of grief because a part of themselves has been lost.
The grueling Dakar Rally—it’s a famous race where one-third of all vehicles do not even finish. It’s an astonishing 5,500 miles long, across rough desert and mountain terrains. It runs from Lima, Peru to Santiago, Chile.
In 2013, a group of disabled war veterans participated in the Dakar Rally. Their team name was “Race2Recovery.” Not only did they require carrying parts for the car, but they needed to carry parts for their many prosthetic limbs. Out of 450 vehicles, Race2Recovery was part of the two-thirds to finish the race. It's difficult to look at the accomplishments of these drivers and call them disabled. Sure, these tasks are more difficult due to injury or illness. Participating requires more learning. We are all unique and will face our own set of challenges when facing any obstacle. But most importantly, these challenges, both physical and mental, require determination and strength. We all have that primal will-to-live, but finding that will-to-thrive can be a little more challenging. I believe the desire to thrive starts with finding a way to participate in your passions. Resources: Preston, Andrew. "5,500 miles, four land Rovers, six spare legs and an Allen key: How Britain's disabled war veterans took on the notorious Dakar Rally." Daily Mail. Web. 25 February 2013. Temple, Stephanie. Race2Recovery: Beyond Injury, Achieving the Extraordinary. J H Haynes & Co Ltd. Print. 2013.
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Some people like the structure and certainty of a vacation where every day is planned and outlined in an itinerary. I am not one of those people. I am part of the group that prefers a little more spontaneity and freedom. One of the best ways to get to know a new place is to drive its roads, eat the local food, and take your time talking to the people. Although road trips have a more spontaneous nature, there are still steps you need to take before leaving to ensure you and your car will be safe. While it’s important to check your car often, I’m not talking about the two-hour drive to Grandma’s house for Christmas. Several times, I’ve driven the 910 miles to Florida and back (1,820 miles round trip). I chose to drive at night when traffic was thin, packed food that was easy to eat while driving, and queued up my playlist for the long haul. While it’s thrilling, exhilarating, (and sometimes just plain boring), being in the car for thirteen hours straight isn’t for everyone… especially if you don’t have cruise control. The first time I drove this route, I had a blood vessel burst in my leg from using the accelerator for thirteen hours straight after I arrived. I learned my lesson and borrowed my father’s van with cruise control the next time. My dad went into what he calls “semi-retirement” a couple years ago and wanted to fulfill his dream of going to Alaska. We had two full size spare tires with us, emergency kits, and our backpacks. The car we drove was a Dodge Grand Caravan that he drove town to Kentucky to buy. My dad knows his way around used cars, and thought it was the suitable option for our trip. He built a full-size bed frame out of PVC pipe to put in the back above the spare tires and our various belongings. (We ended up sleeping in a hotel all but one night, but that’s beside the point because the concept and execution of the frame worked well). We averaged around 607 miles a day. In the first leg of the trip, we tag-team drove from our home in Ohio to Miles City, Montana. He drove for a while, then I drove while he slept (about ten hours through Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska), and then he drove again until we arrived at a hotel for the night. It took us around 21 hours to drive from Ohio to Montana. From Miles City, we drove across open range gravel roads up to Glacier National Park. We drove around the outskirts and were in southern Alberta by the evening. Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta ended up being the most beautiful area we visited during the whole trip. Our van was running fine and proudly chugging along carrying us northbound by the day. If you’ve never been to Canada or Alaska, it’s hard to describe the expansiveness. It’s vast. There are some roads where fueling up is absolutely necessary every time you see a fuel station. I’m talking about the kind of areas where bears outnumber people. We made it to Smithers, British Columbia before Dad locked the keys in the car at a fuel station. I felt a little embarrassed. The stupid Americans locked their keys in the car! Oh well. We ended up using a man’s screwdriver to prop the door open while using another man’s heavy wires to lift the lock. The man who owned the screwdriver had to leave, so he just gave it to us. Dad didn’t want to get a second key for the car because it was chipped and would be expensive to get a spare made. A spare key (even if all it does is open the door) in a magnetic box under the car is a good idea to get around this issue. When I drove to Florida and back, I actually wore the spare key on a necklace around my neck to ensure I would have the spare in case I locked my keys in the car. Once we finally reached the Alaska Highway (also known as the Alcan), we were headed North West, through Yukon, and toward Alaska. They tell you there are two seasons… Winter and road construction. They’re not wrong. The Alcan on Canada’s side was torn up. A nice gravel road would have been preferred. My dad’s back went out because the van was constantly rumbling. There was dust coming in the van’s vents. It was rough, but about the time we got back into America, the Alcan was a road again. That isn’t to say that Canada’s roads are bad. In fact, they are incredible! I’m sure the area of the Alcan that beat us half to death is now smooth sailing. Where construction was taking place, we would often have to wait for a pilot car to escort us through construction zones. Another interesting observation is the abundance of Subaru automobiles across Canada and Alaska. I’ve never seen so many in my life. The first thing you see when you drive into Anchorage? A giant Subaru dealership. Want to know what the mailman drives? A Subaru Outback. Other than Dad locking the keys in the car, we had no car trouble at all… that is, until I hit a deer outside of Richmond, Indiana—just thirty minutes from home! Luckily, it only grazed the back end of the car and we were safe. We assessed the damage and because we had driven up and down the torn-apart Alcan, all the deer did was wipe dirt off of the car. For many people, this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. As for me, I’d love to go back when I’m in better health and have more time to spend with our beautiful northern neighbor. Our trip from Ohio to Alaska and back put 9,109 miles on the odometer.
If you’re planning an expansive road trip, I’ve outlined a few things to remember before you set off:
What comes to mind when you think of an ugly car? Maybe a Nissan Juke or a Chrysler PT Cruiser? Those aren’t necessarily pretty cars, but they have nothing on the Fiat Multipla.
The Fiat Multipla was introduced in 1998 and was even featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York. With that in mind, it may seem like a fancy one-off art project, or even a cruel joke, but the Multipla is actually a practical everyday car. It seats six people (in only two rows). Though, you likely won’t see one in America. It was sold in Europe and China.
Like the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the Multipla is no longer being built. It wasn’t an overwhelming success, and was often either loved or hated. Many families loved it for its practicality, but didn’t love their child getting teased at school because their parents owned a Multipla. The Multipla was designed by Roberto Giolito, an Italian. He is also responsible for the successful Fiat 500 and its later models. The Fiat 500, unlike the Multipla, is sold in the United States.
Unlike Ford or Chevy, you don’t see many Fiat automobiles driving around in the United States.
...Or do you? Fiat may appear to be a feisty little Italian automaker from the outside, but they own Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram… along with some more exclusive brands, like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Maserati. (This kind of conglomerate isn’t unheard of: Volkswagen owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, and more).
Fiat is an acronym for “Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino” which means Italian Automobile Factory of Turin. The company got its start in 1899, before both Ford and Chevrolet were founded. Giovanni Agnelli founded Fiat; when he heard about horseless carriages, he knew he had to invest. Only nine years later, Fiat began producing and selling in the United States.
Fiat even produced the standard machine gun for Italian soldiers in WWI.
We may laugh at how the Fiat Multipla looks, or how some Fiat 500 models have trouble getting up hills, but that is just a small slice of the Fiat pie. I think it's safe to say that Giovanni Agnelli's investing skills paid off. I like to think he would be proud of Fiat today... even if he happened to catch a glimpse of the Multipla.
What do you think of the Fiat Multipla? Do you think it’s the ugliest car ...or do you have another contender?
References:
Clark, Jennifer. Mondo Agnelli: Fiat, Chrysler, and the Power of a Dynasty. Wiley. 2011. Print. |
AuthorLiberty White Archives
November 2017
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