Yesterday was kind of a big deal for me. I have a car. A brand new car! I know, not earth shattering for most of you. But consider this: I haven’t had a car of my own since I moved to the UK in 2004.
Seven years of being dropped off and picked up like a teenager. Seven years of waiting for rides and sending texts to my husband saying nothing more than, “pick me up.”
The five years without a car in the UK wasn’t difficult. I was afraid to drive there but I did try for a bit. The weird thing about driving on the wrong side of the road isn’t the driving on the wrong side of the road part. Nope, the weird thing is shifting with your left hand (automatics are hard to come by in the UK) and having the entire car on the left side of you.
So, it wasn’t such a hardship in the UK. I took the bus to work and it was incredibly reliable. I could walk to our local stores. Right around the corner from our house sat a complex with two grocery stores, a department store, clothes and record shops, restaurants, etc.
Here in metro Detroit being without a car has proven more difficult but my husband and I have adapted to make it work.
The SMART bus that would connect me to the Woodward Corridor isn’t very reliable so I became dependent on my husband to drive me to and fro. And, sometimes, when my husband wasn’t available my parents would give me a ride, which just made me feel even more like I was fourteen again. Occasionally, I’d borrow my parents or brothers car.
But as of now, I’m moving into the fast lane! I can schedule meetings without consulting anyone else. I can take random trips to other parts of town on a whim. I can do things just for the sake of doing them whether it’s lunch with friends, scheduling interviews downtown or visiting my favorite Ice Tree. I now have the freedom to do all of those things.
I know those things may seem very simple to you, you may take them for granted. For me, it’s life changing.
Freedom comes in many shapes and sizes. My little slice of a freedom is a 2011 Ford Fiesta in Lime Squeeze. It screams MOXIE!
I’m ready to hit the highway! The only problem is that I don’t know what to do first. My world just got bigger and I’m so excited to explore more of Detroit. On my own. In my own car. Listening to what I want to listen to on the radio.
Watch out Motor City! I’ll be on a road near you.