While Driving

I was driving in to the office this morning and when I halted at a stoplight at a busy intersection, I did my normal glance around at the other drivers next to me. To my left was a man - not a young man, not an older man, just an average aged man - sitting in his white Lexus ... reading. Not a map or glancing at a little note ... he was full-on reading an actual book, propped on the steering wheel, balanced between his two hands that were (ironically) placed in the "10 & 2" positions. While this stoplight is known to be kinda long, it's not "read a whole page and make it worthwhile to pull out the book" long, if you know what I mean.

So I continued to watch.

The light for our lanes turned green.

The cars began to move.

His car began to move.

He didn't put down the book!!!

Seriously. He was driving while reading his book.

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I'm pretty sure (actually, I'm REALLY pretty sure) that when I took driver's education *mumblemumble* years ago, they were fairly strict on the "Don't read while driving" policy.

I knew that I didn't want Baby anywhere near him if he came to an exciting or dramatic part, or any part for that matter, so I quickly sped her up, got around him and put him far into my rearview mirror. (I'd like to point out here that Baby only went over the speed limit briefly to insure her safety and if we had been caught, I would have been certain to point out to the officer the reason for doing so ... white guy, white Lexus, reading a book while driving ... that should have gotten me out of the ticket ... right?

However, here's the thing that got me thinking.

As drivers ... we are technically reading all the time. Our roads and highways are littered with stuff to read. I'm not talking about the road signs, the highway signs, the information signs. Those are necessary for safe driving and can be grasped in a glance. I'm talking about bill boards, advertisements, information painted on the sides of buildings.

When you stop and really think about it ... it's crazy!!

Remember the old Burma Shave signs? Okay ... no, I'm not old enough to remember them originally, but my grandparents lived in the country and riding in the backseat during those family trips, I still saw many of these signs. They really weren't very big ... just big enough for a few words. The gimmick was the fact that six (6) of these signs, placed consecutively along the road, read as a quick little poem.

Sign #1 - Don't loose

Sign #2 - your head

Sign #3 - to gain a minute.

Sign #4 - You need your head

Sign #5 - your brains are in it.

Sign #6 - Burma Shave

Quick and entertaining, these signs did what they were supposed to do - they got people driving by to think about their product. Isn't that what advertising is all about? Getting people to think about the product being offered?

Now the billboards are huge ... and many of them are now changeable - flipping between two different advertisers. Cause as I'm whipping along the highway at 65 miles per hour, I can certainly keep my eyes posted to one billboard to read, not just one advertisement but two (often having to also make note of the corresponding telephone number). Who needs to watch out for the other vehicles going the same speed, if not faster, trying to read the same billboards.

Not to mention the companies that paint their information on the side of buildings.

Especially fun are the billboards that come in levels ... some of them stacked three billboards high. There are many of these around the Branson, Missouri area - hawking the various shows, hotels, restaurants, etc. With little space between the billboard poles, maneuvering the twists and turns for the hill country roads becomes a bit treacherous as you try to read each and every sign. Heaven forbid you miss one and don't eat at the most scrumptious restaurant available. I wonder if you can have a comp ticket if you tell the the ticket office that you broke your collar bone in an vehicular accident as you were trying to read the billboard advertising their show?

It's crazy!!

*mumblemumble* years ago I had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii. As I traveled along the roads of three of the islands, I was amazed at the beauty all around me. I also felt that I was missing something, when it dawned on me ... there were no billboards or advertisements anywhere along the roads. Hawaii, valuing the beauty nature has bestowed, does not allow their roads to be littered with advertising billboards and signs.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the other states of our nation valued their natural beauty as well? Books wouldn't be needed to entertain while driving if people simply gazed upon and appreciated the natural beauty around them. More importantly, wouldn't it be interesting to find out the statistics on the number of accidents/injuries that are advertising related?

Perhaps hospitals could put that question on their admittance forms ...

How did these accident injuries occur? (check all that apply)

Box #1 - reading book while driving

Box #2 - reading billboard while driving

Box #3 - writing number down from advertisement while driving

Box #4 - reading and writing while driving

Good-bye Old Friend, Hello New!

You know ... one of the things I love about the show Supernatural is Dean's love for his car and the fact that that vehicle is more of a home for him and Sam than anything else. It was passed to him from his father and it has faithfully taken him on his journey. She has been his companion for many years, including the years Sam was at Stanford.

*mumblemumble* years ago ... I learned to drive while my family was living in Minnesota. To commemorate my newly licensed status, I was given the keys to our family's 1965 Pontiac Starchief. All metal (real metal - no plastic of any kind on this baby), pale yellow with gold interior, this baby had 4 doors and enough room inside to carry 8 high schoolers comfortably - and frequently did. She also had a heater that could melt the Alaskan tundra and a steering wheel that seemed to have come from a semi-truck, it was so huge. As for the trunk, well, let me just say that Dean & Sam would love that trunk - if you Supernaturally know what I mean.

I loved that car.

That car began my journey through my *mumblemumble* years of driving and my pleasure of being behind the wheel.

In addition to loving my car, I really love to drive.

(Before I go further, I'd just like to point out - I love my cars and I love to drive. That's as far as it goes. What happens under the hood belongs to someone else, because aside from "the basics", I have no clue.)

Unfortunately, my time with my beloved Starchief didn't last too long. She was old when I received her keys and after a year of faithful service we found out she was too ill (cracked frame) and unable to make the journey when our family had to move from Minnesota to Texas.

I didn't even get to say good-bye properly.

After arriving in Texas, I became the proud owner of a zippy little Pontiac Ventura - two door. Cherry red with a white vinyl roof, white seats and black carpet and panel, this little car took me everywhere a high school senior and a freshman in college would want to go. She didn't carry as many friends, but she was faithful and I loved her. She was also very protective - keeping me safe when we were hit on the side and thrown into a yard across a busy street. After a bit of time in the shop, she was returned to me and we resumed our travels together for a bit.

However, time came for me to leave home and go away to college my sophmore year. While she was pretty and zippy, my parents wanted me to have something more reliable for traveling those long roads to and from college and home. So, my little Ventura was traded in for a sleek burgandy red Chevrolet Monte Carlo - inside and out. I hated giving up my Ventura, but I spent alot of years (10 to be exact) with my Monte and I have to tell you - she was a treasure to drive. We traveled everywhere, together constantly. My favorite place to study while I was away at school was at a park some distance from campus. I would drive there and either sit inside my car or on the trunk, enjoying the quiet and ready texts. There was also the fact that I could fit my entire dorm (and later apartment) room inside her at the beginning and the end of each semester I was away.

After leaving school, I became a nanny for a wonderful 3 years and my little one and I traveled the roads of Texas - Dallas, Austin, San Antonio with regularity and safety - enjoying the freedom that being in a car brings. My Monte was swift and always filled with music and laughter during those times.

Leaving my little one, and Texas, my Monte and I moved onward to Springfield, MO. It was late in her life and she had a few growing pains by now - the crank to roll her window up and down had broken off and had to be held on each time I wanted to use it. The door handle was broken and required shifting across the seat. The cushions were worn and the engine was tired, but still, we managed to have some good times going to the lake and around town, as well as making a couple of trips back to Texas.

However, when the time came for me to move yet again, she just wasn't up to it. My father surprised me (on my birthday, no less) by taking my keys and giving me another set to a little gray Pontiac Sunbird. My little bird and I flew together for 7 years. Over the roads of Oklahoma, with trips to Missouri and to Texas. I loved driving her. She didn't have the larger engine, but she was cute and quick and trusty. She was also the car that my girlies, all three, first traveled in with me. Adventures to parks, back and forth to home and around town. Her four doors made it easier to get two squiggly little girls and their big sister in and out.

I have to admit though, I was a bit unfaithful to my little bird. I ashamed to admit it. However, at the time, I was working for a car rental company and one of the "perks" was the ability to rent cars (like convertibles) for employee rates. During one of these rentals, I fell in love with another car ... a Pontiac Grand Prix. Oh. My! So sleek, so pretty and soooo incredibly fun to drive. I loved my little Sunbird, but ... oy!

The opportunity came when our employee owned company sold and we received payment for our employee stock options. I was able to use that money to buy the car of my dreams. My little Sunbird was 11 years old and had been my faithful companion for the last 7 years of it's life. It was time. After searching car lots all day, my friends and I tried "just one more" lot. It was late, we were all tired, the girlies were hungry. We pulled into this lot and there she was ...

White with grey interior, the bucket seats shot through with rainbow thread, giving them a muted multi tone. Center console gear shift, cassette player, four doors, roomy trunk and an engine under the hood that my friend's husband pronounced in "good shape". She was a dream come true. Everything was the same as the rental I fell in love with, right down to the color - inside and out. I drove her off the lot that night. It was November 1, 1997.

The adventures we had were many. She took me everywhere. Few and far between were the days we weren't together in some capacity, for some distance. She traveled with car seats & booster seats. She lived through spills and toys and happy meals. She traveled to the lake, to Texas, to where ever I needed to go. She provided music and happy times.

And in the end ... 10 years, 1 month, 17 days later, she protected me and kept me safe on a dark winter night during my accident with a jeep.

Over the *mumblemumble* years, I have enjoyed driving. The memory of each car holds a range of emotions. The laughter of 3 teenage girls sitting in the front seat, heading to the mall. The nervous anticipation of a freshman going to college for the first day of classes. The tears of sorrow at leaving my "original girlie" and moving far away from her. The exhilaration of rushing to the hospital for the birth of later girlies. The frustration of job hunting after being laid off. Each car became more than just a vehicle of transportation, they became a companion in my daily life ... a place where I could have a few moments of solitude in the morning before starting work, a place where I could relax and unwind on my way home. They provided me with opportunities to visit family and friends and I reveled in the travel time - where I could sing at the top of my lungs and no one would care, or I could drive quietly without music - simply one with my thoughts.

So ... here I am ... reminiscing and saying good bye to my old friends, faithful companions.

And saying hello to someone new ...

Meet "Baby". My new companion, my new car. Appropriately named by my mother (who, ironically doesn't know anything about the fact that Dean calls the Metallicar his baby) she is sleek and sweet. A 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix - smaller and more compact that her older sister - with a sunroof and CD player and something even sweeter ... a control panel that lets me know when she needs oil and fluids and air in her tires, etc. I'll admit, we're still getting to know each other ... but so far ...

... the drive has been smooth. What more could I ask for?

Christmas Night - A Thoughtful Thank You

It's Christmas night.

The house is quiet and dark. The only lights are those from the Christmas tree, a few candles warmly flickering around the room, and the soft glow from my computer screen.

Just a bit ago, I was standing in my darkened kitchen, looking out my window watching the moon cast it's silvery glow as I sipped a mug of tea (Comfort & Joy is the blend and it truly is!). It was so peaceful and I have to admit that after this last week, it was a comfort just to stand there and relax - allowing the last week's cares to finally slip away. I simply stood and enjoyed the sight and let my mind wander - something I haven't really done lately.

I thought of my family.

I thought of my friends.

I thought of my blessings.

It was a week ago tonight that I left the office full of plans, things I needed and wanted to accomplish that evening running through my head - scheduling, figuring, deciding.

It was a week ago tonight that everything changed in the blink of an eye when my little car was totaled in an accident.

To say that my plans for that evening (and the rest of the week) changed would be a proverbial understatement.

It was a week ago tonight that in a blink of an eye, I was blessed.

With the exception of some really incredible bruises (think concord grape) in some really incredible places and of some really incredible sizes, I am unscathed. The woman in the other vehicle is the same. We were both incredibly lucky. That is a blessing.

With a U-shaped front end, it is safe to say that my little car won't be doing any more traveling along life's highways with me. She was 10 years, 1 month and 18 days old. She had well over 100,000 miles on her, together we had made many journeys - not only to work but to visit family and friends in town and in other states. She provided me comfort and independence and in the end, she protected me from being further harmed. That is a blessing.

Shaky with shock, sore with bruised pain and unable to bring thoughts together in a consistent and cohesive manner, my friends and my family provided me with comfort, with support, with assistance and with love. That is a blessing.

Always the one to take care of the others, I learned the difficult lesson that it is alright to accept assistance from others - be they family or friends, near or far. I learned to practice what I preach and learned that sometimes the only thing we need to do is say "Thank You". That is a blessing.

It's now a week later. Plans were adjusted and Christmas, instead of being "ruined" because I was unable to travel, was modified and I spent it with my parents at my house instead of theirs. My little car is being replaced with a new model - one that won't require new tires, have a terrible oil leak, has a driver's side door handle that actually works without the window being rolled down, will provide air conditioning this next summer (something I haven't had the last two summers) and therefore will give peace of mind each time I'm on the road. I have found comfort in my friends. My head is now clearer and my heart is thankful.

Standing in my window, watching the moon's silvery glow on this Christmas night, I smiled.

Past is past. It's over. It's done with. It is time to move on with life.

Isn't that the gift of Christmas? With that first Christmas gift so many years ago - the past became past. The time had come to move on. Life became the blessing of Christmas. My life became a blessing this Christmas.

For that I say ... "Thank You".

A Cool Imagination

I tend to get bored driving back and forth to work each day. It's been the same trek for 8+ years. So I like to mix it up. Some days all I can think is to get home ... NOW. Those days are highway. Some days I have errands and those days I travel the roads to take me by my sidetrip destinations. And some days, like today, I am so exhausted from work that I want to get home, but the highway is jammed by a wreck and I end up wandering. I would rather keep making side street turns and keep moving, rather than stop for lights or traffic. It's as though I know that I am so beat that if I stop, I will end up dozing and drooling on the steering wheel. Not only is this not safe ... it's also not sanitary or attractive.

However, that is not the point of this little thought process. The point of this thought is the number of times I was told the temperature, as I made my way home. This summer it seems that more and more businesses are making it their ... well ... business, to let us know what the temperature is outside. I'm not sure why. Am I more prone to do my banking where they tell me not only the time but the temperature outside? Because of noticing the new electronic flashing sign telling me the temperature, will I be purchasing a new pool from a particular company? Getting a load of dirt? Eating a meal? What was once though of as a convenience, now becomes rather laughable.

In the space of one mile yesterday, I literally passed 5 signs telling me the temperature. Only two were the same. Since they were all in the triple digits, I didn't really care. All they really needed to do was put the words "It's Hot" and flash them and I would get the point.

Today was no exception. In my tired wanderings I found sign after sign telling me it was 100+ degrees. That is, until I came to this sign located at the side of the road. It was advertising a local store. It's sign read 78 degrees. I knew I was really tired, so I did a double take. Yep ... there it read, bold as brass in it's flashing red neon letters ... 78 degrees.

So, I did the only thing that seemed right. I pulled into the parking lot, parked right next to the sign and enjoyed the pocket of cool air.

Have I mentioned I have a powerful imagination?