Hard Lessons From Those Who Know Better

I’d never been in a fast food restaurant that was so hectic. I must have been eight years old on a family road trip to Las Vegas. We made the classic pit stop in Barstow to refuel the car and our bellies. 

I was standing inside an In-N-Out burger for the first time. 

My dad bent down to ask, “Do you want something to eat?”

I didn’t.

I was being stubborn or tired, I don’t remember which. He knew I was making a mistake and he knew that I didn’t understand the gravity of the mistake I was about to make. 

The wait in line took forever and it took twice as forever for their food to come. By the time it came, I was hungry and the food looked divine. My mom let me try her burger and I realized that we were hours from Vegas and I was a lifetime away from my second opportunity to have In-N-Out. 

I was crushed. 

That’s the thing about being young, naive, ignorant, or whatever else I was in my decision making that day. My dad knew better and I didn’t take his advice. 

Life isn’t about burgers (or the debate about whether In-N-Out is overrated or not). It’s about the places in our life where we need to humble ourselves and listen to someone who has been there before.