I remember the first car that I drove. It was a 1993 Mitsubishi Lancer; a manual transmission and white in color. With that car, I used to zoom down the highways and navigate tight streets, even though it was a time where I was yet to acquire my license. I then moved on to several cars, but all of them I loved and treated like a girlfriend.
Driving to me is not just an activity where I move from point A to point B. It is something more. It is magical. It is the time when I am truly by myself. It is the time where I can really crank up the volume on my favorite music and smile as my newest speakers thump in the back. It is the time where I can really take a girl out and spend some quality time with her while on the way to a picnic.
More than that, it is what made me into a responsible person. Surely, it would be more fun to share the adventures of the fast-and-furious driving of my past, or even more about the beautiful speaker system that I had installed. But, the truth is, the real reason why I love driving is because it was actually the time where I had to become totally responsible for something; not only for the car but for other people both inside and outside the vehicle.
Driving the car means that I would be responsible for the passengers inside, and the pedestrians outside. As a red-blooded youth, I always had this inclination for fast driving, but the truth of the matter was that, the more I drove, the more I became aware of the power in my hands. I became aware that I had the responsibility to make sure that friends and family got home safe.
It was also the first time that I became totally responsible for an asset of my own. It greatly prepared me for future and bigger responsibilities. The car is my home away from home, and I would treat it as such. I would add little accessories, change the sound system and make sure all of them will run properly. For the sake of safe driving, regular check-ups and proper vehicle maintenance are top priorities of mine. And, of course, I give my car lots of TLC in cleaning. If I want to continue driving, I must make sure that my machine is working fine, whether it is spotting a maintenance issue or actually completing an emergency repair on the road.
As I’ve said earlier, my car is like my girlfriend, and when I drive, she makes me happy. Driving long trips often makes me think as I listen to my favorite rock band. I get lost in a little world that I created in my head. I enter this zoned-out state and I know what I am doing. My body is moving; changing gears, pressing pedals and steering the wheel. My mind, however, is soaring a million miles faster and higher than I am. And this… this is why I love driving.
I love driving, pure and simple. Purely for the responsibilities that made me grow into an adult, and simply for the adventures, the hopes, the dreams that driving gives me.
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