Greg West, a iRacing staff member told us his warmth story this weekend with family. Nice to see something could enjoy several generations and being part of it.
What an interesting weekend. I had the privilege of having my 80 year old grandparents DRIVE up from Alabama to stay with Leslie and I for a week. To say we have a close relationship is a huge understatement as we are (his words) the best of buddies.
However even with company visiting, there is still some work that has to be done. So down to the basement I went on Sunday to get some testing in for our upcoming build. About 20 minutes into me working, here comes my grandpa down the stairs and over to the couch. Never one to want to intrude, he just wanted to sit quietly and watch. I found him being on the couch so far away unacceptable and we soon had a chair right next to me (that he stubbornly insisted on bringing down the stairs… sigh). We spent the next few hours talking while I worked, me explaining what it was that I was doing and him asking the occasional question. I tried and tried to get him in the seat but no no no he just wanted to watch. A couple hours into it I finally succeeded and he found himself in the chair turning a few laps at Daytona. Boys will be boys and he gradually started going faster and faster while occasionally feeling what force feedback was when he would touch the wall ( that was fun to explain). After a few minutes he got up with a bit of sweat on his brow and a smile on his face. We decided to call it a day at that point.
We met up with Leslie’s parents for dinner and I have to admit I was beaming with pride as he explained to her dad what we had been working on and what it was like to drive around.
What started off as such a simple endeavor, explaining to him what I did for a living and how I get paid to “play” video games, ended up being a memory that I will cherish forever. I know these times are fleeting but to see the pride in his eye watching me do a job that I love meant more to me that I think anyone can imagine.
I felt like that was worth sharing with this community. iRacing is a labor of love. I wish I could adequately convey how much every person that works here cares about the product we put out. This is more than just a game or simulator. It is a community. It has the power to bring people together. In this world we live in where it seems we are constantly being pulled apart, it is great to be a part of a community that constantly pulls more people together.
I hope this story has brought a smile to your face and acts as a reminder of the beauty of everything this software and community truly is.
Happy Monday and happy racing.
-Greg
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