A term innovated by French ethnographer Arnold van Gennep in his work, “Les Rites de Passage,” the rites of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage that occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. I can’t help but think how this relates to moving up in an HPDE group or from one race class to another.
As we arrived at the end of another racing season, I found myself feeling grateful for so many reasons, the most recent of which is being blessed by my amazing son and his beautiful wife with a handsome grandson. I pray that like my father before me that I too will pass down traditions to him, like I have to my daughter and son.
My father’s influence was instrumental in shaping my character, guiding my choices, and molding me into the person I am today. When we pass down traditions to our children, we help them connect to their family’s past. Some examples of traditions we can pass down include recipes, crafts, hobbies, talents, photographs, and in my case, racing.
Lessons handed down from a father are often called “fatherly advice,” “paternal wisdom,” or simply “lessons from dad,” emphasizing the guidance and knowledge passed from a father to his children. Wisdom implies things we’ve learned over time are not just a basic manual of sorts, but valuable insights gained through personal experience. When we “hand down,” we are passing on our knowledge from one generation to the next. Hopefully at the end of the day this knowledge will be helpful to them on their journey through life.
I can’t help reflecting on my personal journey in gratitude for a life of racing and the doors NASA has opened. I am thankful for learning to race and to think about the challenges I’ve overcome and in the process the progress I made. Being grateful for such heritage means feeling thankful for the unique sense of identity, values, and traditions that I’ve inherited from my NASA family.
I look forward to passing on this legacy to my grandsons just as I have my daughter and son. After all, where a family comes from, with all of their traditions, customs and more that have been passed down from generation to generation make up a family’s heritage, one I’m certainly proud of.
My daughter and I recently did a Route 66 road trip across the country and along the way we spoke in depth about our family legacy. Things like how my son was the youngest licensed racecar driver at 13. How he has been involved with racing, and racing management and even before college, then being involved in the automotive profession and is presently working in multiple capacities with a new manufacturer of racecars. We had to chuckle when my eldest grandson texted me. “Hey Papa, I just got my driver’s license and now I’m ready for racing lessons!” Well, we do have our priorities.
I find myself wondering how long it will be until my new grandson is seated in a go-kart and asking if there might be a time that I can give him some driving instruction. Or will my son have already done so with knowledge I handed down to him when he was that age? There is only one way to eat an elephant and that is one bite at a time, so we will see.
Being grateful for learning to race means appreciating the personal growth, resilience, and sense of accomplishment that comes from pushing yourself through the challenges of training and competing in a race, allowing you to discover your physical capabilities and mental strength while enjoying the rewarding feeling of crossing the finish line.This rite of passage serves as a good method of helping new NASA members as they move up through the ranks and who will, in turn, pass it on to even more people in the years ahead.
