Why I Race

 When I was a kid, and I've told this story here before, I raced HO cars. AFX and Tyco specifically. My parents were divorced, and we lived with my mom. She was very poor, working as a single mom of 3 on a teacher's salary. Every year at xmas she would get us what we wanted, and every year I wanted a new race track. 

Needless to say, after a few years, netting that many kits can significantly increase your piece count. I would also save my allowance for cars, many of which wouldn't last a weekend. They were, however, on sale and affordable for a kid like me on a budget like mine. Magnum 440 I think they're called. G+. Had a couple of those. 

Then came the dark ages. Between my teenage years and my 40's, when other things took importance. I was also not in any position to take up and maintain any hobbies of significance back then. 

But upon my move here to Germany, that all changed. Opportunities arose, as indicated in this blog, and I was able to commit to the hobby finally like I wanted to. And while it's a much more well-known hobby over here than in the US, it's still a niche hobby. Either way, I was doing it. 

But what did I get out of it? I quickly found that I was going to do most of my racing alone, as my wife didn't share my passion for it [we had separate hobbies that we both enjoyed and pursued]. So racing became an escape for me. I became a dad....a stay-at-home dad, so I needed an outlet that was within reach and could give me a quick fix. Slot car racing was perfect for this. And I had an attic spot I could dedicate to doing just that. 

Over time, my marriage deteriorated. As that happened, which took a few years, I fell more into the hobby as an escape from what was happening. It wasn't to any obsessive level, but it was my preference of things to do when I had free time. As the marriage came closer to the end, I bought cars. Now it's over, and I'm at a new place, alone. I miss my daughter, but I get to see her quite often and we race a lot. 

So now it's no longer part of that escape, but a part of my existence. I set up and race at will, and don't have to move the track for anybody. I know it sounds like a dumb little thing, but it's not. It's all part of me getting my life back. These last few years have been very weird, I'm not going to lie. Giant gaps in my post timeline here are pretty indicative of other stuff going on that kept me away from doing what was fun. 

I've been sitting here for the past month or so, wondering who I am now. I think I have it figured out finally, but it's still a work in progress. Thankfully, whenever I need to break away and do something to distract myself or just to have some fun, I've got slot cars.