It took me longer than I care to say.

I’m not from Texas, so I didn't know what to expect when sharing the road with huge pickup trucks. Yes, you do see them in both Nashville and Kansas City (our prior two places of residence), but not like we have down here in good ol’ Texas.

They’re everywhere. Tailing you on your way to work. Swerving in and out of traffic on your way to the grocery store. Screeching past you going 90 in a lane that merges in 20 yards. I think I was passed up for promotion recently because they gave the job to a Ram 1500 instead.

We recently moved into a nice little neighborhood built in the 1960s. It’s got older roads and hardly any sidewalks, so whenever you walk your dog, you’re forced to fight for space with behemoth vehicles that barrel through the narrow streets at all hours of the day. However, instead of fighting these wretched vehicles, I've finally come to terms with the reality that it would be my honor to get run down by a monstrous truck.

Whether taking my dog for a stroll or pushing my 2-month-old in a stroller, it's become abundantly clear just how selfish it is for pedestrians like me to assume we have any right to safety. Guys who drive huge trucks are the king of the road. Napoleon incarnate, conquering the road as you listen to [insert dumbass country musician here] or whatever. And yes, sidewalks are government overreach that steals square footage from honest, hardworking homeowners' lot sizes, so adding or updating those is out of the question.

Why muster an opposition? Pedestrians are merely obstacles to be avoided (if convenient to the driver). After all, you need to get home in the next 30 seconds. Doesn't matter why or for what. It's your life, everyone else is just in the way. I too would drive like a madman if my vehicle could breach a trench at the Somme.

Here’s the thing. Living here — and, increasingly, pretty much anywhere in the U.S. — means that sooner or later, you’re bound to get run down by a huge truck. Your kids will be too, especially if they live in any neighborhood of any kind. And probably even your parents and grandparents, depending on how much they get out.

And that’s okay! In fact, when I go, I want people to say I died of natural causes because that’s basically what it is! Never mind the fact that plenty of other developed countries have built communities that aren’t centered entirely around automobiles. They’re less free for it. Nothing says “free market” like the freedom to get run down by an F-150 Raptor.

The way I see it, better to accept my fate and embrace the Rundownedening than try to escape it like some dumb nerd. I’m even thinking of ordering a T-shirt with the Gadsden flag on it but instead, it says “TREAD ON ME,” just so drivers get the right idea.