I don’t know how many times I’ve considered starting a blog post on my iPhone while driving. Dangerous, maybe, until you consider that I drive a pretty consistent 40mph.
But don’t worry. I haven’t given in to that temptation, even though I see things and people and billboards that immediately inspire me to blog. Like what things?, you may be asking yourself.
Like these few things. (You’re welcome!)
1. Last Sunday, on September 11, the fam and I were driving back home after a weekend trip to Nashville. Before we hit the outer limits of the city, I-440 came to a standstill.
Thirty minutes later, when traffic started moving again s-l-o-w-l-y, we saw the reason for the hold up.
A demolished motorcycle in the middle of the right two lanes, a suspicious stain beside it, a pair of black boots lying haphazardly by the bike, the cyclist’s helmet on the concrete, and dozens of policemen milling about the scene without any sense of urgency, as if any reason to work quickly had already passed.
I couldn’t help thinking that I might be looking at the exact spot where a person had just died. And then I couldn’t help but make the logical jump to 9/11, and knowing the exact spot where thousands of people had died ten years ago.
It’s a sobering thing, when you are thrown from your everyday lives, confronted by your own fragility, that a chunk of steel can bring you down, and without your permission.
2. Driving back from the grocery store, I passed a litter crew picking up trash on the side of the road. As I passed them, I saw that each of them was wearing a bright yellow vest with bold, black lettering that read, “I AM A DRUNK DRIVER“.
For some reason, I teared up a little. (I may or may not have already been downtrodden because I couldn’t find the right Snapple flavor at the store, but straw, camel, back.) A second before I saw the litter crew, I saw a sign cautioning drivers that a litter crew was up ahead. And when I saw the sign, my brain made a snap judgment about these delinquents picking up our trash.
But then I saw them with their sin plastered across their back, and felt sorry for them. Isn’t it enough that people driving by know they are convicts? And if we somehow missed that, and just thought they were helpful, environmentally-friendly humans, the KPD truck parked on the side of the road would surely tip us off.
I think it’s telling that I instinctively sympathized with the drunk drivers, and not the unknown victims of the drunk drivers. And if we were all forced to wear our sins on our backs, what would my yellow vest read?
3. Gas is getting too dang expensive.
Meet the Buttrams 
Wow! It’s the Scarlet Letter all over again. I wonder if this punishment leads to the type of shame that causes reformation, or destruction? I have no idea one way or the other, I just wonder…i know what my yellow vest would say…”Chief sinner”…Oh my goodness… 😥
I have no idea either. It would for sure have the right effect on me.
I’ve heard about that yellow vest punishment before. If I had to wear my sins on my back….egads….I’d have to shield my children’s eyes.
Gas is too dang expensive.
No kidding. My kids would be so embarrassed.
And I even got 15 cents off per gallon and it was STILL $3.25. INSANITY.
I’m with Annie! Yikes! If I had to wear a yellow vest. Well, I think I’d have to add a yellow hat and yellow socks and yellow ribbons in my hair.
I’ve not always been a good girl. But I try.
Lord knows, I try when it comes to the big stuff.
The big stuff definitely counts. And yellow ribbons? You’re so cute. How small would the typeset have to be on those?
Scarlet Letter, indeed. I haven’t heard of yellow vest punishment. And I’m glad. Like my friends above have said, I’m glad I don’t have to wear one for my sins. And if I did, it’d have to be pretty big.
Right. I would have to wear a yellow vest sandwich board. And bending over to pick up trash would in one of those would be a beast.
As for those vests, that’s a tough one. As for your creativity while driving, here’s what I do. I use my phone’s voice recorder and record my ideas as they come. Then I have em for later without trying to write on the road. If I don’t get them right then I lose em.
Educlaytion, you’re so practical.
And here I thought you recorded ideas by vlogging while driving, eh?
I think I would need a bigger vest!
Ha! Gas IS too dang expensive!
🙂
A gallon of gas costs more than a gallon of Mayfield milk around here. Boooooo.
Do not even get me started on gas prices…
I often get ideas while driving, but even more challenging are the ones I get while showering.
I need a waterproof case for my iPod…
STEVE JOBS, get on it. I mean, he has so much time on his hands now.
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What a second…I thought yours was a funny blog. Now you’ve got me laughing AND crying. I wasn’t prepared for that. And I really shouldn’t have been reading it during class. “She’s crying at her desk again. Awwwwwkward.”
Sorry sorry sorry! I can’t ever make up my mind. I’m like, do I want to be funny today? Probably not? Because my sister is going to call me and say it wasn’t that funny? Make ’em cry. Got it.
End: internal monologue.
And by “what”, of course I mean “Wait.” Come on, Katie, you’ve gotta proof-read these!
Of course. I read “wait” anyway.
And my sister never calls to blog bash me. That was a lie. (Sorry, sis.)
Ha! I was laughing at the irony of your comment because my sister really does “blog bash.” Not really- but she did tell me I needed to stop trying to be funny because I was sounding meaner than I am. Only a sister could be that honest. Love her for it.