Driving and freedom

I've never had what would be considered a "normal" driving record. I never took a driver's ed class. My dad taught me how to drive while I was staying with him one summer in Florida. After failing my driver's test the first time because the instructor in the car wasn't clear about how far they wanted me to back up, I received my license on the second attempt around the age of 18 years old. Even so, I wasn't able to totally appreciate having a license to the fullest because I could not afford a car in high school. I was lucky to have good friends that were willing to give me rides here and there, but it was a source of embarrassment and shame for me to have to depend on others.

I moved to Florida for my freshman year of college. I drove my Dad's white Jimmy truck to and from campus, as well as work and ended up buying a very cheap little white car that was on its last life. It truly lived up to the title "POS" (ie, piece of shit), yet it got me from point A to point B....that is until one unforgettable accident. I was on my way home from work at Publix, less than a mile or two away from home. I was in an unprotected left turn signal lane and there was someone on the opposite lane going the other way that was in my blind spot. Being a foolish 19 year old at the time, I thought it was clear and went for it. Once I turned, I saw a pickup truck coming towards me and it was too late. I put my foot on a gas pedal that had little to no pickup and was sideswapped. The car was totalled. No more car for Katie. I must admit, I still have a little PTSD-ish anxiety around unprotected left turns to this day.

The summer of my freshman year of college, I moved back to Texas and drove my mom's big ass conversion van. Again, it was mainly to and from work or school when my mom said it was ok for me to use it. It felt weird to drive such a huge vehicle. If you saw me driving it (the short girl that I am), you'd have chuckled. When I transferred to SWT (or Texas State University, as it's known nowadays) a few years later, I was back to square one. No car whatsoever. I think I very well could have gone 2 years without driving once.

Summer of 2001 rolls around and suddenly I am faced with driving a very LONG Penske truck from Reno, Nevada to a little country town near Lexington, Kentucky....after not having even driven ANYTHING in years. I was nervous, to say the least. I did well, despite a minor incident of hitting someone's tail light in a very claustrophobically small parking lot while turning around. Again, this was close to our destination in Kentucky. I can't remember if I helped Mom drive the Penske truck when I moved to Chicago months later in December 2001.

After moving to Chicago, however, I went my longest stretch without driving/having a car: 6 years! Driving a car to get around was a non-issue with Chicago's great public transportation of buses and trains. It wasn't until I decided to make another move (in yet another Penske truck, though not as long as the one I drove in 2001) that I found myself apprehensive and in unfamiliar driving territory again. In early March 2008, my friend Carla accompanied me as a driver in my journey from Chicago to Seattle, WA. She did most of the driving.

I drove my mom's car a few times back and forth while I was working part-time at the BBW last summer, but otherwise I was roughing it out with Seattle public transit. I went 10 months without driving a car and it was very exhausting, as well as oppressive. My work commute should be about 20-30 minutes by car and it was taking me an hour to an hour and a half...one way. Traveling so much during the week left me tired, lazy, and unmotivated to go anywhere by bus for anything else other than work a majority of the time. I really wanted a car, but I just could not afford it.

Chris made plans to visit me in May and I ended up renting a car for us to drive during his stay because I wanted us to have the freedom to go wherever we wished. Not surprisingly, I was nervous as I drove the two of us from the airport back to my apartment (a 35 minute drive, around 1:30am no less!). I drove a bit more that weekend, feeling a little more comfortable as time went on and yet, I have not had a chance to become totally confident and comfortable with driving because I have not been able to drive on a regular basis for years. Starting today, this is a whole new world for me.

I have been hesitant to get a car up until this point in my life due to my financial situation. I wanted to feel confident in my ability to pay car related bills responsibly. Yesterday I had a deal practically slap me in the face, one that would be ridiculous to pass up. My mom told me about a great deal my stepdad recently found on a 2 door Toyota Yaris. Her rationale was, 'it can't hurt to go to the dealership and talk to the guy' to get information and look at the cars. Off she and I went. After taking a look at my budget, I slept on it overnight...or I should say I barely slept, eager and excited about all the places I could go with my own vehicle.

I signed a 3 year lease on a red 2009 Toyota Yaris today! It still feels surreal....to drive and travel solo, something most people take for granted because driving all the time is the standard norm. I think I'll appreciate my new car that much more than the average person for this very reason and for all that it embodies for me now. The question now is....what to do with this newfound freedom? :)