Sometimes it's really, really, really dark...

Tonight I had to take the highway home from my babysitting job, and it was very, very dark.  As I merged on, I thought about how hmmm....I've had night driving experience and hmmmm.....I've had highway driving experience...  but hmmmm....I'm actually not sure how much night-highway driving experience me and my tires have gone through.

Nothing happened of course and I am safe and sound, sitting here in my brown and blue room.  When I got on the road, I switched into high-maintenance gear (and switched Josh Groban onto high-decibel level  Secret about Annie: I BLAST MUSIC WHEN I'M ALONE IN THE CAR).  I clung to my 10-and-2 spots on the steering wheel and tensed my lower arm muscles and drove...and drove and drove.  Until I got off the highway, that is, back on familiar territory, where I noticed that I instantly eased up and relaxed my hand on the bottom of the steering wheel, and my muscles went back to their normal state.

The funny thing, it's not outright fear of driving (although i really didn't like the big truck that it took me a while to lose)...it's just tension (okay, maybe there's a little apprehension mixed in).  I pretty much just remind myself at the beginning of each drive that I'm okay, the Lord's in control, and sometimes whisper a little prayer of safety over me and whatever car I happen to be driving on that trip.  

Another funny thing that was brought to my attention is that I speed up in some places, but slow down on the highway when I get nervous.  All of a sudden, I'm wondering why people are speeding past me and oh!  it's because I was going 65 ten seconds ago, but I'm now only going 52.  Oops.

Anyways, I'm not trying to make you nervous about my driving.  My father will tell you that I am a very capable driver, and I do drive the kiddos places.  I'm really going to miss driving if I go to Hawaii...I guess there's a law that out-of-state drivers under 18 can't drive there.  :(  boohoo.