We’re going to the Alps for Labor Day, me and the boys. We’re taking out hopped up, supercharged Minis and we’re going to see the sights. It should be awesome — pretty scenery and twistie roads that should be well suited to the high performance nature of the Mini.
So far, we have folks from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands going. Many are American service members stationed over here. And I’ve got to tell you, I suspect that we make decisions differently.
I’ve got a Mini buddy who lives in North Carolina. I suspect he reads this blog, too — say hello, Paul. He’s been listening in and commenting on things as we’ve been collectively hammering out the plans to go do this. He’s also had to suffer through hearing me and others drone on and on about how great the autobahn is and how amazing it is to go drive through the Black Forest.
I realized that he’d get an absolute kick out of joining us for this trip. In a flash, my brain rolled through the decision he’d have to make:
- Do I have enough money for a plane ticket?
- Where would I stay before and after the actual trip to the Alps?
- Can I get time off from work to go?
- How much will my wife kick my ass if I do this?
- The trip is 2+ months away — is that enough time to get a passport?
Really, I boiled it down to the issue of resources: time and money. In the military, we’re spoiled — it’s not $ from our own pocket, but from the Army. And it’s either there or it isn’t. And time off from work — you either have it or you don’t. You can either free it up, or you can’t. I realized that if he had the $ to get here, and if he could get the time off from work, he needed to come here for this trip.
So, I triple-dog-dared him to do it. That’s right, I issued the ultimate dare, as if we were both 8 and having a showdown on the playground. And I did it publicly, where we had been discussing the trip plans. Boldly, publicly.
Why wouldn’t he fly over here and do this? This is the kind of thing from which legends are made. A week, maybe ten days, in Germany and Switzerland (and maybe Italy), driving the Odenwald and Schwarzwald and the Swiss Alps, and eating and drinking like a king.
Yeah, Paul, you need to do this. The decision is really that easy. In a cold, emotionless way, the decision has already been made.
