Valuable Life Lesson of Respect
Perspective Your Stories

Valuable Life Lesson of Respect

Author: Ella Moss

Ella Moss Ladies Offroad Network 1May 7th, 2015 changed my vehicle of choice for the rest of my life. My dad and I were headed out to deliver a few lawn mowers to some of his clients. Stopping at a small detailing shop was no big surprise to me, they had a large lawn I figured one belonged to them, turned out it was the opposite. We pulled around the back entrance and we both jumped out. Heading to unstrap the mower my dad shouted my name and pointed in the direction of a little silver jeep. I just looked at him and shrugged, thinking yeah sure it would be cool but he had already got me a blue manual ford ranger. He asked me to come look at it with him. Looking at cool off-road, old, and everything in-between vehicles had always been a favorite thing of mine. Tossing the keys at me he said “it’s your’s.” I just looked at him. Completely over joyed I swung open the door and jumped in.
 
Ella Moss Ladies Offroad Network 1I built on with mostly cosmetic things such as KC lights, under-guards, aggressive tires and vinyl stickers because of my boyfriend’s company, it was easy to get a pink jeep going. My dad having a more aggressive looking Dodge Cummins did not like the Barbie pink. He about croaked when I spray painted my radio cover bright baby pink. It did not take long for the obsession of parts and social media pages to hit. Living in Iowa, jeep shows are scarce but one pops up every once and awhile. After some transmission work it ran like a charm. Although of course, not for long. After a summer full of topless gravel travel, my aftermarket radio was junk. Turns out my heat was too, wires inside had actually caught on fire and threatened to burn the innards of my dash down. We took it to a local shop, the owner was my Dad’s friend and I was babysat by his daughter. They had done all the work to my vehicle so far and were very high on my list of recommendations to others. That’s why when I got home on December 30th, 2016 I was so surprised to see my Dad, my superhero, red, with angry tears. 
 
Ella Moss Ladies Offroad Network 1Growing up in a small farming family money was not always something that was just given out unless it was to the church. So when my Dad put money into my vehicle it meant a lot to me and I took the best care of it I could. My dad continued to tell me my KC lights and floodlights had been stolen off my vehicle. Maybe to others they are an easy replacement but to my family I knew I wasn’t getting more. With my jeep meaning almost everything to me it was like a punch in the gut. Similar to the feeling you get when someone hits your dog. After a visit to the county sheriff’s office we went home empty handed. I watched craigslist for weeks and scanned every off-road vehicle in the area. After awhile you start to just give up. I wasn’t angry anymore at the person who did it, just confused.      
 
A week later I got a call from the shop owner saying it was ready to be picked up. My Dad and I drove over together. When talking to the owner he decided to replace all my lights out of his own pocket, because the insurance deductible was not high enough. Even though that was great news I’ve never been more nervous to drive my jeep back to school. It felt naked and exposed without my lights (that were soon coming). Leaving it in the parking lot felt like I was inviting people to take parts off. Everyday after school I did a check, I became paranoid of my surroundings like people were watching me and I felt as if I could trust no one. 
 
Ella Moss Ladies Offroad Network 1This taught me a valuable life lesson of respect. Realizing even if something may look worthless to you it isn’t to someone else. You don’t have to have hundreds of sponsors and show at SEMA to have a vehicle that's worth something. Always remember someone's junk is another person's treasure. 

Author: Ella Moss