Front Seat Driver

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

As I prepare to make the switch from the pick up truck to a mini van, there is one thing that I regret, and that's losing my driving buddy. Right now, Duke sits right next to me and helps me drive. Literally.

He reminds me that the keys go in the "gi-nition" when we are ready to leave. He points out the steering wheel and the gear shift in case I forget. Well, I don't need that much help yet. But he does have some useful driving abilities besides being able to spot school buses and fountains from a mile away, locating cranes and excavators and spotting every fire hydrant in a 10 mile radius.

He navigates for me. Not only does he tell me where to turn and when (especially when we're going someplace for the umpteenth time, like swimming lessons), but he helped me out of a jam the other day.

We were sitting in a parking lot waiting to turn left onto a major road. There was a traffic light there and while we were sitting at the red light, I was preoccupied with something (probably checking my email on my phone- don't judge me, you do it too) when my navigator said "That's a green light!"

Sure enough, it was. I had just enough time to pull through, and as I did, my navigator yelled "That's a orange light!" Thanks, buddy, for not making us sit through another traffic cycle!