I can’t drive 55!

I drove the other day to get my morning coffee. I needed my morning jolt and we were out of coffee at home. I didn’t even think twice about the drive. I was out and back before I even knew it. 

When I got back home, I was searching for something and I came across an old driver’s license. The license was one of my first as a new driver oh so many years ago. I looked closely at the picture. I looked like a little kid. I didn’t even look old enough to drive.

Back in those days, I remember getting in the car and being very deliberate and cautious. I looked both ways and back again before I pulled out onto the highway. Truth be told, I was probably too cautious.

I thought some more about my early days of driving, but temporarily put things on hold. I wanted to surprise my wife by fixing the flapper on our downstairs toilet. It keeps getting stuck, but my quick five minute job was turning into an hour long mess. I was just about ready to throw in the towel when I remembered the license and how far I’ve come as a driver.

I saw more than a few similarities. We all start out as young drivers. In the beginner, we very precise and methodical, but eventually it becomes second nature. Likewise, I was struggling with the toilet. I was having problems getting the water to turn off at the refill tube to stop at the correct spot. I worried about making a mistake and causing the water to overflow, but, in time I became more familiar with the inner workings and was able to make the necessary changes.

I’m pretty sure I’ll never become a master plumber, but I felt better about the do-it-yourself job when I viewed it through the lens of the license. Life works amazingly the same way. We fret, we worry, we might even get frustrated, but when we try things enough times they become second nature.

Now, if I could just drive 55 mph — life would be so much easier.

Image by Jonathan Petersson by Pexels.