Saturday, April 5, 2014
Impressionism
With eyes straight forward, I was focused on the road and whatever I could see of the lines on the expressway. The snow fell heavy and frequent, causing all the other cars driving to go 30 or 35 miles per hour instead of the speed limit of 55 and 65 at some points. In my problem-filled Neon, any hopes of going above 35 in this heavy snowfall was out of the question. Making it back to Brockport, from my girlfriend's apartment in Webster, was a must. Having the ride cut short by trying to drive too fast would not have been such a good idea; I did not want to crash and get hurt or worse. Not being ready for snow at the end of March was stupid of me since Rochester is known for frequent weather changes and snow whenever it feels like. Still, it took an additional twenty minutes to make the trip back to Brockport, while going 30 to 35 miles per hour the whole way. This slow trek turned an already long-ish trip of forty minutes, give or take, to an hour trip. While one will never see those extra twenty minutes ever again, I was able to make it back safely and that's better than whatever the alternative could have been.
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Chris, your experience is a part of reality for any commuter during wintertime in Rochester. Physically the scene was blurry with the snow clouding up your view as well as making it harder to get where you needed to be. Literally, you created a very clear scene of the setting and what you were thinking about in the moment. It's understandable that you had the impression of frustration, impatience, and slight fearfulness in those moments of waiting and trying not to crash into anything. Many readers, including myself would agree with the way you perceived the drive even though you're only speaking for yourself.
ReplyDeleteYou may have been debating whether or not to go faster to get home sooner though you decided that wasn't the safest idea. So there's a lesson embedded in your experience which is "safety first". By not following your first instinct to speed on the slushy roads, I see that you were impressed to go at a speed you knew you'd be safe at and wouldn't put other drivers' safety in jeopardy either. Thanks for not following your first impression!
I think your post really captures the frustration that come along with being a commuter, and just driving in general. There are so many thoughts and annoyances that can distract you when you drive, such as the physical barrier of the snow and the mental barrier of the furstration. They teach you when you learn how to drive to just focus on the road and to be safe, but it can be so hard to keep your mind centered on just the road and your driving. Once you get used to driving your mind relaxes which allow all of the other thoughts and disctractions to flood in. I think your post really captures how hard it can be some times to negotiate through all of these obstacles in order to keep yourself focused on driving safely.
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