ZERO DARK THIRTY TRAVEL

  Well, let me tell you there’s some life left in this old girl after all. Much to my chagrin and unhappiness, my orthopedic MD appointment had to be rescheduled. Unless I wanted to wait until the end of January, then the only available slot was Friday morning at 8:00 am…yes, that’s correct, 8:00 am. To add insult to injury, the doctor’s office is on Capitol Hill.

This change meant I had to arise at zero dark thirty and get behind the wheel of my very own car and drive myself there. Not really a problem except it was DARK, PITCH DARK. First, I’m not usually cognizant of the day or time before the sun rises, and second, I can’t remember the last time I left the house in the dark…by myself…behind the wheel of my own car. 

Seriously, I expected horrible traffic and to be exceedingly uncomfortable navigating myself on the freeway in the dark. But you know what? I wasn’t uncomfortable driving 60 mph, and even just a teensy bit more, on the freeway, plus the freeway moved along as thought it were still the middle of the night…and, okay, it felt like the middle of the night to moi.

Traffic moved so smoothly and swiftly I arrived with more than enough time to spare which meant I could pop unto my favorite bakery before I met with the doctor. The doctor visit wasn’t fun because he made my wrist/hand hurt A LOT, but the thought of that tasty croissant waiting in the car kept the tears at bay. 

Back in the car, my treat was sublime even without a latte accompaniment. I’ll probably get another chance to visit the bakery because the x-rays and CT-scan weren’t definitive enough for the doctor…he wants an MRI. So, I expect I’ll have to travel to Capitol Hill two more times (MRI and MD visit), but I’m going to do my very best to make those appointments during the day…enough with this middle of the night traveling. 

TIME PASSES SO QUICKLY

 

Well, here we are at the end of another year. In less than twelve hours, it will become 2025, and I’m not ready. Why, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.

Decades ago when the year 2025 was brought up, it was light years (however many those are) away from the time in which I was living. In fact, I actually didn’t believe I’d be alive when that year, or maybe even any of the 2000s came around. It all seemed so far away and so Twilight Zoneish. Somehow, I couldn’t imagine all that time passing or becoming as old as I’d need to be when 2025 arrived.

Well, silly moi. I guess I just didn’t have the imagination required to think that far ahead. And, I don’t know about you, but I never believed I’d live to be this old or become this old. And, yes, I know it’s a good thing to be this old, to have lived this long since it is certainly better than the only known alternative. Still, it somehow seems to have arrived all too soon and all too quickly.

It’s times like this I wish I could have one more conversation with my grandmother or any one of her peers or maybe even her grandmother. Her life changed so much during her time on earth. From an outhouse to indoor plumbing, from horse and buggy to automobiles, from growing and preserving her own food to getting it at the grocery store, from traveling on a train for days to flying from one state to another in a matter of hours. I’d really like to talk with her about all the changes she saw and experienced. I regret I wasn’t aware enough during her lifetime to have this discussion.

This, of course, leads me to think about my own life and experiences. I remember as a child, time moved extremely slow and now, it moves at an amazing pace. So far, my grandchildren haven’t asked me about my own childhood and the changes I’ve experienced during my life. I wonder if it just hasn’t occurred to them that what they’re living right now is nothing like what I lived at their ages. I also wonder if they simply don’t have time to think about time because life’s rhythms are moving at the fastest tempo ever. 

If there was one new year’s wish I’d make, it would be for time to slow down, to allow me perform a slow waltz as opposed to the quickstep required by today’s schedules. But we all know that if “wishes were horses, beggars would ride,” so a slower pace in 2025 isn’t likely. 

And, I guess the whole point of my looking at time, past, present and future, is to remind myself to enjoy every single millisecond as much as possible. 

So, here’s to a Happy New Year and 2025…may it bring me and all those I love and cherish a bright and enjoyable future that doesn’t pass us by too quickly. 

ANOTHER SCARY RIDE

  On December 20th, I wrote about traveling down the freeway at zero dark thirty and how scary I expected it to be. The day after that, I had another travel adventure was actually even more scary, but I’m happy to report I made it home without a problem.

It was the Northwest Driftwood Artists’ Christmas Party, so, of course, I had to attend…I am the newsletter editor after all. Getting there (Redmond) wasn’t a problem although it was raining just a bit. That all changed during the two-hour party.

When I came out, it was POURING. By the time I got on to the freeway heading north, visibility was almost nonexistent. Did anyone actually slow down? Absolutely not…the speed limit was 60 mph, so why on earth wouldn’t drivers actually do that speed.

I kept myself in the right-hand lane and thank heavens, there were other drivers who were as cautious as me. I didn’t do 60, and neither did the cars in front of me. Our top speed was about 45, maybe 50, and even then, the idiots who chose to not turn on their car lights were almost impossible to see.

It was raining so hard for the entire drive on the freeway, I thought it couldn’t possible rain any harder. Off the freeway and driving toward home on the Bothell-Everett Highway, Mother Nature chose to prove me wrong. What had been very little visibility became zero visibility and I seriously thought about pulling over and stopping. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see well enough to make that choice so I just cautiously continued.

By the time I made it home and into my garage, I was exhausted and the rain had diminished somewhat. I had lunch and decided to take a nap. When I got up, the sun was shining. I found myself wondering if I had simply dreamed that death defying drive home from my Christmas party. 

Now I’m wondering if it was a good idea we had no alcohol??? Probably, but I’m also wondering if I’d have been far less frightened while driving?