Driver's Independence

At 6 a.m. every morning, the deafening tone of my alarm would signal the beginning of a new day. My morning routine sticks to the same monotonous schedule: a shower, getting dressed, a small breakfast, and a short drive to school. Most mornings, that five minute drive is nothing more than a mundane fraction of my day. But what I never consider is what these five minutes represent, which is the independence that I worked so hard for. If you ask anybody about their first car, you will only hear countless stories and fond memories, no matter how old or rusty their car was. That’s because the first car is a teenager’s first real taste of independence. Whether it was school or the mall, I finally had the ability to go anywhere, anytime. Long gone were the days of trudging to the bus stop in frigid temperatures or relying on the revolving door of parents, friends, and neighbors to drive me to school. Even something as simple as driving to school made me feel like I was finally entering a new stage of adulthood in life that I …show more content…
A short drive to school was something that was two years in the making, and it took a considerable amount of work to make it to that one point. It began with suffering through Driver’s Ed lessons during summer vacation and the daily routine of eagerly begging my parents to take me driving. Then it was nervous nights combing through study guides just to to pass the driver’s test, and finally taking the test. Once I did actually pass, I was left with my licenses, a car, and no way to pay for basic things like gas and insurance. I immediately filled out applications and eventually found a job. My short drive to school required working long shifts every week, and extensive budgeting and saving. It all started with driver’s ed classes, but this process continues to this day, as I still work to put gas in the tank every