"I'll bet that really made you furious." I was bent over picking something up off the floor of my Toyota Fj when I heard the words; they startled me as I wasn't expecting someone to sneak up behind me. But, looking around, my brother-in-law was sitting in the truck next to me, and I hadn't even noticed. "Hey, what's up, Stephen?" I said, "sorry I didn't see you." My sister Susan was dropping something off at my office, where I had just parked, and Stephen was waiting in the truck for her.
"What makes me irate?" I asked, not knowing which direction the conversation was going. "The scratches on your jeep," Stephen said. "Did Sean do that?" Referring to my adult son still living at home. I look at the side of my Fj and, not for the first time, notice how torn up and shredded the paint job has become; "nope, that's all me." I smile.
Like most people who live in southern Utah, Stephen owns a truck. Around mountain country and mainly high desert mountain country, people own trucks, 4x4 wheel drive trucks. Between the snow in winter, clay mountain roads, and sand, it pays to have the ability to go where you want to go. Of course, the four-wheel drive helps; having the truck sit high enough to move over rocks without losing an oil pan is a huge bonus.
I've mentioned my dad's Willies jeep before, and looking at Stephen sitting in his spotless truck without a scratch reminded me of a long time ago when the three of us went deer hunting. Stephen's truck pulled dad's Willies jeep hooked up behind it, and although the road got rough, Stephen pulled that jeep to our destination without a second thought. I'm sure it was just one of those father, son-in-law things, but I thought it was funny; however, I think my dad was upset that we didn't use the jeep: men and their toys and all that stuff.
As Susan emerged from the office, I said goodbye and glanced back at my Fj's side; it was a mess. The sun was hitting the paint just right, and some lingering dust from yesterday's backcountry excursion highlighted the numerous lines along the side.
Most people don't understand. I bought this jeep for a particular purpose, and that purpose was not to drive up and down the main street. Each scratch represents a memory, and I can even recall several of them because of the location of the scratch on my side panel. The high one just below the window is fresh; I was peak bagging along the Veyo-Shoal creek road last Friday when the fire road I was traveling grew narrow and the brush overgrown.
The memories come flooding back as I look across the panel. Songwriter John Rzeznik when composing "Name" for the Goo Goo Dolls, writes, "Scars are souvenirs you never lose," [1] and each scar on my jeep represents a souvenir, a memory of a day well spent.
Written September 7, 2022
References:
[1] [Goo Goo Dolls - Name Lyrics | AZLyrics.com](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/googoodolls/name.html)