It Was Awesome: A Dad’s Road Trip With His Daughter

Post written by Donald Swartz, President and Principal at Swartz + Associates, Inc. | Lover of Chiefs, Royals and golf | Avid “Cruiser” | Poker Enthusiast

Success! Success! Yes, it’s possible to spend 2 days straight in a car with my teenage daughter and both come out of it for the better. To use a favorite quote of the Millennials…

“It was AWESOME.”

For those who missed my last post, I was getting ready to drive my daughter back for her sophomore year at college. Nervous? Hardly. Anxious? PLEEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE. Worried about listening to the Broadway Channel for 1,200 miles? No comment.

Our journey started on a Thursday morning with the only rule being that we had to be to her room by 9 a.m. on Saturday. This left a lot of room for adventure and changing plans on the fly…or what I like to call “a perfect road trip” (minus road pops and loud 80’s music).

As I drove, my daughter decided to post updates on Facebook to inform the masses of our whereabouts and stops.

I must admit I’m continually amazed by the power of social media and the number of people who “LIKE’d” the various postings and “Commented” during our trip. When we arrived at her school, I couldn’t believe the number of friends who had followed our journey. Surprising indeed.  As I read her postings and all of the corresponding comments, I was continually reminded how social media is woven into the fabric of our lives. Both professionally and personally, these tools have simply become a part of everyday life. The ongoing challenge is to learn how to incorporate this medium into something tangible…or as we say in the property tax world…“something of value.”

Blogging allows me to share a little bit of my personality with those who know me in the business/professional world.

Maybe it reduces barriers of entry in conversation. Maybe it creates common ground with my clients to show we’re not engulfed in property taxes 24/7. Maybe people read blogs to take a quick break from the world of everyday. Or maybe it’s “all of the above.”

My goal is to provide a little of this and a little of that – what makes me tick; my love of family, the greater Kansas City area, and Kansas City sports. And maybe, just maybe, share a nugget or two about my business and the arena in which I play. The world is a big stage and people are watching (or should I instead say “Following”?)

Whatever your reason, I just want to take a moment to say THANK YOU for following my blog.

I will continue to strive for content that is fun, entertaining and at the same time, relevant and meaningful. Stay tuned because I’m pretty sure my next post might have something to do about our upcoming trip to Lambeau Field for the Monday Night game, Chiefs vs. Packers. Who knows…I might even throw in a few pictures.

As I reflect on the trip with my daughter, I’ll remember the singing, the windshield time, our chats, our visits to MY enemy Big 10 schools (Illinois and Ohio State), and the ease of not necessarily saying anything but knowing this was our time together.

What kind of birthday present was this to end her teenage years?  It was AWESOME.  (Look at that…I said “Awesome” twice in the same post.)

Until next time…