Road trip...."Stop lights and munchies"...

There are several things that I am good at. Collecting chocolate wrappers, seemingly deciding on the extra shot of espresso, finding space for my mail, discovering new music, finding the right cord for my gadgets. Never really fancied myself as a “great” driver, rather a “good” one.

The thought of leaving TX the following morning both excited and scared me at the same time. I knew I would be driving in bad weather. The icy roads and snow alone frightened me. Not only did I worry about the bad weather but I also worried over my short attention span. YES! I in fact, have the attention span that of a 3 year old. What was I to do? Just drive, laugh at the various cities radio jockys, perhaps annoy myself singing aloud, even make up ridiculous songs pertaining to stop lights and speed limits? Well, I did all those things even before I crossed the Louisiana state line.

In the days before my trip reality had never quite set in. Still thinking of work, wondering about books I ordered online, and rarely thinking of the time. Carrying on with my daily routine as if I was to do nothing in just 2 days. Sure, I thought about my grand excursion across the US…who wouldn’t. Normally, I don’t process information until it’s either happened or that it’s happening at that moment. So, two days….that’s all I had left.

I remember packing everything I can manage to stuff in one suitcase. Though, I still needed room for my apprehension, I left that in the living room of my house. Insuring I made room for my DVD’s, I gladly left “apprehension” in TX. After packing the rest of my clothes, symphony wear, and bathroom tidbits, I finally relaxed with some wine. In just 8 hours my life is going to change.

I woke up early, around 5:00 or so feeling like I was sleepwalking, in the same fashion TV zombies do. Shortly after my bathroom prep I was on the road. Thankfully my navigation system was quite new. I couldn’t imagine having to hear that electronic voice utter those horrific words “recalculating” that early in the A.M.

Seeing the sign for I10 East was a huge relief, settling in I was on my way.

After 4 hours of driving, I pulled off the interstate to get gas and some munchies. There at the intersection I saw a large black pickup truck run a light, with no turn signal on and cut me off. I knew instantly that this was clearly going to be an asshole behind the wheel. I also intuitively knew that this smart son of a bitch would flip me off for beeping. Having this split second knowledge allowed me to beep, steer and flip them off (and I was 100% correct that those hillbillies would be giving me the finger) while safely making it to my destination.

What if I had this foresight in life?

What if I could tell within a second who would wrong me, and then give me "the bird" for being upset by their actions?

What if I could smoothly give a proverbial finger with my right hand while calmly navigating through life with my left?

Would it always be as satisfying as it was matching the 15 year old redneck sticking his finger out the passenger side window (and knowing that I didn't have to have my window down because MY car had air conditioning)?

Is it really satisfying to always "beat someone to the punch?" I think in this case it is.

With 8 more hours on the road, I’m sure to encounter much more than I could have imagined……to be continued…….