Amanda Drives!

As people who know me are aware, driving scares me a lot. I can drive the places I'm familiar or used to, but the unknown is like a cannonball of anxiety. My issue with driving is not some sort of prissy complex where I just want Morgan Freeman to drive me around or something, but rather, a legitimate fear. However, ever since I've been back from college I have missed my professors and friends-so much so that I would drive! My friend down there texted me to just do it, and drive down. So as a spontaneous decision, I did it. I'm thinking the spontaneity was probably a good thing because I would have been likely to just bail out of nerves if this was planned a few weeks in advance.

But I did it! I survived! As I e-mailed to one of my professors, there was a body count of zero between the to and from drives. I didn't take an interstate or anything, and just stuck to the back roads, which really wasn't that bad! Plus there were donkeys, llamas, and cows everywhere. I had printed directions, my GPS, and mixed CDs to keep me stimulated but in a relaxed way. Oh yeah, and lots of caffeine. The caffeine was a must. I was a bit clammy handed and nervous, but I survived it.

It was a very brief trip but well worth it. I got to see a few of my friends and professors, plus I bought my academic regalia! It was super nice getting to catch up with the people I did see, and have my morale boosted a little. It certainly has felt like my little college family is a continent away, but now knowing that it's just a few hundred miles that roughly add up to 2-3 hours, and that I can handle the drive, I know I can come see them whenever I have the time!

I don't say this often because I'm really quite hard on myself, but I actually feel proud of myself. Driving is an anxiety that I've carried with me for years, and I'm finally beginning to crack it!