Goodbye, Summer!

For many of us who grew up in the 90s, summer has always been this mythical season of wonder, adventure and discovery. Movies like The Sandlot, The Goonies, and Little Giants always provoked in me this sense of longing for the summer, a time to hang out with friends outside of the reach of teachers and parents, to explore and shake things up a bit while learning more about the world around me. When I was a kid, I spent a lot of my time during the summer away from home, camping in Pennsylvania's Pike County. The closest thing I had to modern technology was my GameBoy, and that only worked if we had recently gone into town for a fresh set of AA batteries. Otherwise, my family, my camping friends, and I made the most of the woods, the park, and the pool in this place where time seemed to stand still, if only for a little while.

You don't need me or anyone else telling you how different the summers I just described sound when compared to the summer that is about to see its conclusion. The actions that sparked protests across the country, COVID-19, and the approach to a contentious presidential election -- to name just a few things at the top of the minds of many Clevelanders -- have so many people on edge, struggling, demanding and working toward something better. And in all this, some of the certainty that we once relied on has vanished while the constant tug to continue with "normal life" -- school, work, activities -- remains in this time of challenge and change.

You might wonder what all of this has to do with Safe Pass.

As I reminded someone yesterday, our main concern is putting safe drivers on the road. We are the best driving school to do just that, but honestly...even if you go to another driving school and there is a way that we can support your success as a new driver (or as an experienced driver who needs some further skill development), we want to do just that, regardless of whether or not you ever spend a single moment in the car with us. More safe drivers on the road means that more people can tend to the "normal" parts of their lives more quickly and with fewer unnecessary challenges, hopefully making room for more time to tend to the issues that seem less than normal right now.

I'll always remember the summer of 2020 as one when so many became far less comfortable in the world around them, where the stability of life wavered far past what we ever could have expected or planned for, but also a as summer when true heroes rose to meet that instability with the strength and courage needed to affect change in real ways. As this summer when Safe Pass was born comes to a close, I'm continuing to hope that our mission and our goals help to make the lives of the people in our community just a bit better, a bit safer, and a bit more predictable. The time to keep pushing, though, extends well into autumn and beyond.

We'll be there pushing with you, every mile of the journey.

Stay safe, friends.
-Rob