Published: Friday, Nov. 18, 2011 / Updated: Friday, Nov. 18, 2011 11:00 AM
My ticket to ride
Renewing my driver’s license is something I hate to do! I always procrastinate even though there are several options to renew. I manage to skip all the easiest ways and slide into the DMV one or two days before the expiration date.
Driving, to me, has always been more of a necessity than a pleasure. When I first got my learner’s permit I had a great support team and a lot of willing friends, family and neighbors to teach me how to drive. That list dwindled pretty fast when they got into the car with me. I had my mother and brother left to teach me. I didn’t get out of my backyard before my mother was sent back into the house screaming and yelling because while backing out of the backyard I hit the back of the house and knocked the dishes out of the cabinet.
My brother made the mistake of taking me to the cemetery for my lesson. He got out of the car and told me to put the car in reverse. I put the car in reverse and took off, leaving him about two blocks from the car. His waving and yelling could have awakened the dead. I could not drive back to him because he did not tell me how to put the car in drive.
Driving school was my only salvation and it turned out to be my ticket to drive.
I got my driver’s license today, with three days left before the expiration date.
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Patience and fortitude conquer all things.”
Here are a few interesting things about driving:
Next time you hop in the car for a trip, consider taking roads that have trees, flowers, bushes, lakes and rivers within view. A study revealed that seeing natural scenery reduces the stress that can tire you out as you drive.
Try eating one and a quarter ounces of dark chocolate before getting behind the wheel. It boosts blood flow to your eye tissues, improving your ability to see in low light conditions by 17 percent for almost three hours, according to British researchers.