“And you’re at least fifteen?”
Yup, that question that I’ve been asked at least three times
now. That question that I dread… and a question you’d think they wouldn’t have
to ask so much, with my date of birth right on the papers their holding.
And overly honest me can’t keep from clarifying
“Well, actually, I’m seventeen.”
The confusion comes across their faces for a moment. Yeah, I
know what you’re about to say;
“If you have a driver’s license, you don’t need this moped
permit.”
I state the fact quickly, smiling… or at least trying to,
“I don’t have a driver’s license.”
Another moment of confused silence.
“But you’ll be getting it soon-”
“Actually, I don’t want to get a driver’s license right
now.”
Words and phrases like ‘not right now’ and ‘not yet’ are
things I’ve learned to add onto my more shocking statements to help humans
digest them a little better. It’s a lot easier to explain how a moped is more
economically suited to my stage in life right
now than to explain my reasons for not wanting to drive a car ever.
This dialog exchange is more or less what I’ve had to go
through three or four times in the process of getting my moped license. But
despite this and a few other road bumps, I’ve finally gotten it!
Yes, my moped only goes 30 miles an hour. And yes, I’ll be
exposed to the weather. And yes, I most likely will not be able to ride it in
the winter. But it is completely worth it!
 |
| Artwork by Terry Dodson |
I saw your moped on Tuesday--it's so cute! Is there a reason that you aren't interested in a driver's license, now or ever? I love the picture at the bottom.
ReplyDelete(This is Tessa, Emma-from-youth-group's sister, by the way. In case that wasn't clear.)
First of all, I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to get a reply back; I promise I wasn’t ignoring you! I somehow missed the notification for this comment…
DeleteNow to your question; yes, I have a reason for not wanting to get a driver’s license. There’s so many in fact that it’s hard to remember them all at once and I always end up telling people different reasons each time they ask! Ultimately, at the core of this decision – way of life, whatever it is – is what’s at the core of all my other odd choices in life I think. It’s that I’m not satisfied with just going with the flow and doing something just because everyone else does it. I think I have this need inside of me to find my own unique path in all the major areas of life and understand what works for me, not simply following everyone else and doing something because it’s the society norm. If I choose to do or not do something, it’s because I choose it, not because society tells me I should. Hope this kind of makes sense…
(Another explanation could be that I was dropped on my head when I was a baby… that could possibly be the explanation for everything about me… I’m just crazy! And yes, I love that picture too!)