Drive

I am in need of a drive.

I have just spent two hours studying Spanish. Now, that may not sound too bad, but trust me...it is. I just don't get it. I feel that there is nothing that I can do, to learn this fast and crazy language any more than I already am. This language frustrates me. It drives me crazy, and it makes me want to rip the little hairs from my head.

However, I am determined to learn this blasted language. Not to be fluent, but to be proficient. I enjoy making progress, and I get an overwhelming sense of accomplishment when I get something right in class. So despite the hell that I go through while learning it, I am determined and would like to persevere.

I can only hope that Spanish speakers get this frustrated when they are attempting to learn English.

We are even.

Anyway, back to driving.

There is something about driving that frees the soul. Maybe it is the feeling of going fast, maybe it is the feeling of having control over your final destination, maybe I enjoy driving because I can go wherever I would like. (You could place a contradiction in right here about rising gas prices, which inevitably would reduce excursions in the car.)

When I drive I get lost in my thoughts, maybe you do the same. I have experienced a strange feeling while driving before. It is the feeling that you get when you start thinking about something: the past, the future, girls, music, god; something occupies your mind. If the thought is intense enough you can become consumed by it, and then driving becomes so passive. In your deep intensive thought, that seems brief and fleeting, you look at the clock and realize that an hour has passed. Have you ever experienced that? I enjoy that feeling. I guess it is dangerous in a way though--becoming so passive that you neglect to acknowledge the fact that you are in charge of a 1000lb machine. Better watch out.

Luckily for me I will be driving tomorrow. Just a short trip, about two hours in length. However, that is more than enough time for my soul to feel rested, revitalized, and rekindled.

Here's to the open road.

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