One of my favorite things to do either when I’m alone or with friends or family is drive. I love driving my little Honda Civic from point A to point B because every time I do, it’s a new adventure. I got my learner’s permit the day after I turned 16 and got my license seven months later. When I first began driving myself to school or band practice, it felt so liberating. I decided what route to take, or how fast I wanted to go, or where I wanted to go along the way. My driving was my alone time. I never put the radio on, and I still don’t today. Driving lets me feel free and it allows me to think about whatever was on my mind. No one is there to tell me otherwise. It is time for me to process life all while doing something I enjoy. I also could make myself useful and pick up groceries for my family or pick my younger brother up from school. I always love helping people, and if I can do that through driving, then I am always willing to help in whatever way I can.

Connecticut’s laws state that you must wait a full year after getting your license before you can start driving your friends. But when that time came, it allowed me to do two things I love doing: driving, and helping people. If one of my friends ever needed a ride, I would be the first person to volunteer helping them out. My best friend from back home and I were the two band nerds senior year who had cars, so we constantly drove people to and from school or wherever we felt like going for Thursday night dinners. Driving with other people gives me a chance to talk to them. I always enjoy the conversations I have with people in the car, because they are almost guaranteed to last a while and I can learn about what is on their mind, or I can talk about something that’s been on my mind.

I take a lot of pride in my driving. I always go the speed limit and make full complete stops at a stop sign. That being said, a lot of people, especially my younger brother’s teenage friends, think I drive too slowly. This is probably true compared to how most other people drive. But I drive this way for two reasons. The first reason is that for years I have been an adamant NASCAR fan, and I know what happens when you get into a high speed crash. But the other reason is that I was to cherish the moment of driving. Maybe taking “the road less traveled” takes longer, and I may travel a bit slower, but it gives me a chance to do what I love and I want to make it last for as long as I can.