The (Forgotten) Enjoyment of Driving

The open road. (Image courtesy of flickr.com)

While running errands earlier today, I found myself reflecting on driving. All too often, our time spent on the roads is dominated by traffic difficulties, rushing from Point A to Point B, and so forth. For many drivers--most, I submit--driving is a necessary nuisance and, when you factor in fuel and repair bills, a financially costly nuisance. Our car is the means by which we get to work, to the grocery store, to dinner--it is an intermediary between the things that actually matter in our daily routine. We rarely look forward to getting in our cars--when is the last time you have looked forward to your commute?--and dread trips to the repair shop, as if we were having to go to the dentist's office.

Having spent a great many years in cities, I can say that my love of driving has diminished. By this point, I barely need more than third gear in my daily travels, and spend more time being upset about other city drivers' idiotic actions on the roads, than I do relishing in the sound of the motor. On a recent roadtrip, however, I found myself enjoying the open road, despite the mundane stretch of pavement that is Interstate 95. While I do lament my lack of time on winding, empty, back roads as of late, I do appreciate these fleeting moments when I remember why driving is enjoyable. I encourage all of our imaginary readers to remember the pure freedom inherent in driving and the beauty of the machine in which they are seated. With any luck, the morning commute will feel just a little bit shorter.