A story about driving in Florida

I wrote a post last night for today, but thought I should save it for another day. You can only take so much ranting and whining before it sounds like a TV talk show.

I'm going to give you the quote of the day, then a story that relates.

Here you go:

Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you and scorn in the one ahead.  ~Mac McCleary

We live in a fast paced society. Cell phones that are really computers. TV dinners and TiVo. So it's no wonder that I drive fast. Or did. Here's the story.

After graduating from St. Mikes, I got a job in Bakersfield, VT (east bum-shoe) and lived in Jeffersonville, just 7 miles south. I had a Ford Escort and drove it fast through the pot-hole laden back roads of Lamoille County. I got stopped a couple of times (oops) for speeding. Then I moved to Florida, where everyone sped and tailgated- even the "Blue-hairs" (older folks). I think South Florida is one of the most dangerous places to drive in the US and no one has car insurance! Super! When I moved to West Palm, I didn't change over my plates right away. The beautiful Green Mountain State plate stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the 120 different (check it out http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/specialtytags/) Florida plates, so I got stopped. Gee, thanks.

Fun Fact! When you move to another state and get a driver's license there, your driving record goes with you! So, with my Vermont record and 2 Florida stops, I almost lost my license unless I took an online driver's ed course. Reading through the course was actually not too bad- everyone should have to do that every 5 years or so. It reminded me to not tailgate and slow down (a.k.a. BE PATIENT!) This has kept me ticket free (until last month, thank you Windsor County Sheriff in Bridgwater!). I still speed occasionally, but I keep a safe distance and not tailgate, because I hate it when people do it to me. Lesson learned!

I'm a patient driver, but not patient with everything else in my life. I just want a job- a teaching job. If I had that, then I feel like all the rest will fall into place. Life doesn't work like that, I have found out. I need to stop watching so many old Hollywood movies with happy endings. Although, I did finally see "Citizen Kane" the other night, and that didn't have a happy ending. That is a weird movie that many people say is the greatest of all time. I beg to differ. I have found a mantra that I need to think of more often. The Rolling Stones said, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need." Words to live by.

So if you are ever behind a tan Mazda with bumpers stickers and are too close (because you are trying to read my witty bumper stickers), you will get my brakes to let you know that you are TOO DANG CLOSE!

And by the way, I chose the Florida State Wildflower plate (because I didn't want the MyFlorida.Com one).