|
Picture of the day -
December 6, 2006
"Driving"
Driving is one of those tasks that most adults simply take for
granted. Many even find it rather boring or a bit nerve-wracking.
But for a youngster, being able to finally jump behind the wheel of
the family car and drive is an event to look forward to. In
fact, learning to drive is a major milestone in life ranking right
up there with learning to ride a bike without training wheels and
achieving the holy grail of adolescence: that terrifying, yet
supremely satisfying first kiss.
I remember how mom and dad used to pile us kids in the car and take
us for a ride, sometimes to town, sometimes to a swimming hole, and
often on a weekend trip that spanned much of the state of Virginia.
Seatbelts didn't matter much back then because most of the cars we
owned didn't even have them, and even when we owned one that did
there weren't nearly enough of them to strap in 10-12 people. It was
fly by the seat of your pants - literally, when we hit a bump in the
road.
I was always an inquisitive child, eager to learn something new or
visit a place that I had never been before. As we rode down the
highway I would be looking around at houses, barns, horses, soybean
fields, trash dumps...anything that was new to me that piqued my
interest. I guess I nearly drove mom and dad crazy asking questions
and making comments about the thousands of things that we passed along the
road. Unlike most kids, looking around and learning often made even
the longest rides seem short to me.
My mental images of the trips we took so long ago were captured
through the lens of my childhood. Back then I didn't have to
worry about making it to the next gas station before the tank ran
dry. It was mom who had to make sure that the "head count" was right
before we pulled out of the driveway following every stop, and it
was she and dad who had to make sure we didn't kill each other
before we reached our ultimate destination. All I had to do was
enjoy the ride, and I almost always did...even though I never got to
drive.
About the photo: During last week's visit to Dollywood, I
captured this image of a couple of kids riding one of the miniature
cars. Most likely it was the closest they'll come to "driving" for
quite some time. The older girl appears to be a little bored but
it's obvious that the younger one is having a blast!
I really like this picture because it reminds me of the time that
mom took us kids to a carnival in Richmond. I got to "drive" a
little red car that looked a lot like this one (to the best of my
recollection, anyway). It was the first time I ever got to sit
behind the wheel of a moving vehicle, an event that indeed served as
a milestone in my young life and created one of my most treasured
childhood memories.
|
Submit a photo of
your own!
Picture of the day archives
|
|