In light of today's events (I took my car to the mechanic and I am now over a thousand dollars poorer), and to follow up on Jenn's post on public transport, I decided to blog my thoughts on the ecologically-unfriendly private transport.
My car. My own little world.
Why is it such a precious commodity for most people in America? Well I don't know about the rest of the country, but let me first point out to the unaware reader that Houston is perhaps the least pedestrian-friendly city in the U.S. There are no sidewalks near major roads, public transportation is inefficient and ridiculously cumbersome, involving three or four bus transfers if you need to get from one side of town to the other. Needless to say, you would have to allow at least two hours for this purpose, that is of course, if you actually don't have to DRIVE to the nearest bus stop and even pay for parking. It is just impractical, and evidently neither cost, nor time-effective.
Having said that (and acknowledging the argument that it is wasteful and selfish to drive around by yourself when you could just take the bus --really, I'm sure you would think twice if you had to do it here--) I'll tell you why I like to drive my car.
It takes me places, as fast or as slow as I want to. I play my music, or not, and I spend most of the time I drive thinking and philosophizing about any issues that concern me at the moment.
Driving is my therapy, it keeps me sane. If I ever feel like I want to run away, I just drive, for the pleasure of driving with no intended destination. My mind though, is going somewhere while I drive, and until it finds its way - or the solution to my worries - I don't stop.
I never thought of it this way before, but driving is very much like the thought process: An idea comes to your mind just as you get on your car and pull out of the driveway. Your brain begins to assimilate random thoughts while you set your radio to a station that suits your mood. Adjust the A/C to the proper temperature and the idea begins to take shape.
Then you come to the first stop sign, before jumping into the flow of other random ideas that need to be put together in a cohesive way...you look both ways, see a clear space and drive off onto the main street that will take you to the highway. Here comes the ramp, and by the time you get on the highway your idea has a life of its own. Your brain is functioning at 70mph evaluating all the choices, and avoiding slower ones that might get in the way. Change lanes a couple of times, and you have almost reached a decision. Exit off the highway and you have made up your mind...Once you get back home and get off the car, your brain slows down again and the idea is put to rest.
Well, that is sort of what goes on in my head every time I drive; sometimes I manage to digest several ideas in one drive, some times one might take me a whole week of driving back and forth to figure out. My car is not just my transport, it is the space in which I think about life, and maybe that is why I like it so much.
