Knowing we were moving from Los Angeles to Dallas in 2006, I decided I just had to buy a truck. Your first thought might be “Of course you would. Do in Texas as the Texans do!”  

While I was certain having a truck would help make fast friends, my deeper reason to buy one was to use it to experience moments with my family. I didn’t just look for a functional truck. I scoured auction sites to locate that unique experience I was after. I finally found it—a 1978 Ford F250 Custom two-tone with a toolbox built into the side. It was in great running condition with about 87,000 original miles, air conditioning, and an interior that did not smell like a stale cheese sandwich!  

One feature that I loved was the two-door cab with a bench seat. We have two daughters, and at the time, they were nine and seven and small enough to share one seatbelt between my wife and I whenever we drove to Joe Pool Lake. 

While we were creating memories with the truck, I was intentionally building legacy. I was able to share a part of me that my family could enjoy. I believed that as I shared stories and we laughed while driving, my family would also get to know me better. The experience of connecting while driving became such a personal one that we named our truck—Rusty. Rusty became associated with good times (and lots of thumbs up and honks). And since it had a name, Rusty ended up in our family pictures, too. 

Over a decade has passed now since I sold Rusty (and subsequently bought a wakeboarding boat with the same intentions). Just the other month my eldest daughter recalled our memories and said she wished we still had Rusty. Then she said how much she remembered me driving it and telling stories. 

Rusty was more than a vehicle for driving. Rusty was a vehicle that delivered a connection with my family. I had no regrets selling Rusty because its purpose was served and the plan worked—today my family truly values the memories and connections we made when we had Rusty.