I crashed my car yesterday. Well it wasn't exactly a crash but I did accidentally rear-end a pick-up truck about 10 seconds from our driveway. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. A majority of accidents happen close to home. It did make it convenient just to have the other driver come to our house to exchange information etc. So it's actually probably the best place for an accident.
Having 6 vehicles, unfortunately we've had several issues in the last month that have stretched the budget way too thin. So our head of the household declared just last week that no more car repairs would be done for a while if the vehicle was drivable. All cosmetic work could wait. I guess that square hole in my 11 month old car's front bumper will have to stay a while. Of course I was a bit upset. But I am very fortunate to have a husband who stated "It's just property. Everyone is okay." Awwwwww. Our dietitian son cooked dinner for me to make me feel better. Of course that was after he texted a group text, including pictures, stating "I told her she needs to learn to be a more cautious driver like me." Right........Every car he has every had looks like it's been in a demolition derby.
Coming home at lunch today, I did have a fleeting thought about my accident as I got to the same intersection. A few seconds later I was walking into our house as three sons starting singing Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" at me. Of course there was a little twist with the words, adding "she said she didn't even see that truck in front of her" into the song. (I am not now, nor have I ever been a Miley fan and I consider that song a disgusting brain worm that was, of course, stuck in my head most of the afternoon.) Just as they finished singing, hubby peeked around the corner, grinning. He had put them up to it! They are just so sweet.
Driving has never been something I've really enjoyed. Although I had dreams of becoming a long haul truck driver when I was a young teen, when I finally did start driving I knew that would never happen. I did drive almost half way across the country many years ago, but it's just not something I enjoy doing if I don't have to. I think, as I've grown older, part of the problem is that I can't multitask while driving. Well at least not legally. And yes. My kids did ask if I was on my phone when I crashed. No. I was not!
Because our two recent just the two of us trips happened after hubby came off firefighter duty and he was very tired, I volunteered to drive. We started out for Memphis on a Thursday morning. I drove the whole way! Over 4 hours and that's the longest I've driven in probably over 25 years. I figured I was pretty safe because it was basically interstate the whole way. Except I don't like bridges. Apparently I have a bit of vertigo so some bridges kinda freak me out. I thought we were going across the normal bridge into Memphis. It's huge and doesn't bother me quite as much as some even though I prefer not to be the driver when crossing it. This time, however, the GPS took us across the smaller one. I kinda freaked. I talked non-stop as we left Arkansas and entered Tennessee. Hubby told me to do something differently than I was doing but I had to focus and just drive so I have no idea what that was. And if he wasn't careful, he was going to have to climb over behind the wheel and take over right there in the middle of that bridge! We did make it off the bridge but the creases made in my palms from squeezing the steering wheel didn't go away for quite some time. Once we made it to our hotel, I didn't drive again until after we got back home.
Our next trip was going down the same interstate for several hours. He started driving when we left home but got tired and asked me to take over. So I did. Thinking it would be easier to not go across that bridge into Memphis again, we turned south about 2 hours sooner. Hubby got some sleep. Then it happened. A hot wheels ramp. I actually hate those hot wheel ramps worse than I hate bridges! I think they are probably called flyovers or something like that. I don't really know nor do I care. I just know that when we are on one I feel like we are going to fly off just like our hot wheels cars flew off our hot wheels ramps when we were kids. Here I was. A sleeping husband, on my on, and I misunderstood the GPS. Hubby woke up. Not sure if it was because he sensed danger or if I was panicking out loud. But he witnessed my meltdown and then even a double meltdown as I ended up on yet another almost complete circle hot wheels ramp before finding a vacant parking lot right off that silly thing. He laughed as I freaked out and said he wished he had thought to video me so the kids could see. Argh.
Safely on that vacant parking lot, I got out on my wobbly legs. He laughed and told me I needed to keep driving. I told him I was going to make sandwiches instead so he could have something to eat. He finally got in the driver's seat and I proceeded to make peanut butter sandwiches as he recapped what he considered to be quite funny and I considered to be a nightmare.
As we continued down thru Louisiana, he talked me into driving again. Until he mentioned going across the Mississippi River. I asked him how wide it was. When he said "One mile" and began singing "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, I started to watch the GPS screen very closely. I saw water. Couldn't tell if we were driving by it or over it but I wasn't about to repeat the panic of the morning. So I stopped again. Turned out the Mississippi River was still a ways off but that's ok. I'm much better at ridding shotgun and making sandwiches than I am at driving.
I guess I not only provide entertainment while I drive, but while I am a passenger as well. I'm not very good at sitting still. In the passenger seat, I am constantly playing games on my phone, taking pictures, making sandwiches for my brave driver, checking and re-checking the GPS and weather for where we've been and where we're going. And if a song comes on the radio that I can dance to, I'm dancing. In my seat. Moving as much as I possibly can. When "Fancy" came on the radio and I started my dance, complete with head bobbing and hand movements (didn't matter that I was also eating a rice cake at the same time), hubby decided videoing my attempt to entertain myself was not only a good idea but good enough to text to the kids for their enjoyment. (Interesting how he can video me while he drives but I'm not allowed to do anything but keep my hands on the wheel and look straight ahead when I drive. Hmmm....) They didn't comment on dad's video of mom's interpretive car dance. But hubby sure had fun with it.
Whether we are going on a long trip or just across town, I'm very glad we have a family of drivers so I don't often have to do it. And, after yesterday, I'm pretty sure everyone else is glad I'm not often the driver, too.
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