There are a number of things I’m good at. Some of them are not meant to discussed in polite company. I’m also really good at my job but I can’t explain what makes me so good without violating some section of the terms of my employment. I think I’m a good writer but there are so many people in my immediate circle that are much better than I am so on to something else. That leaves one of my favorite activities – driving.
I can drive but so can a billion other people. The skills that I have that set me apart from the multitudes are as follows: I can drive a variety of different vehicle types, I have the uncanny ability to find the closest parking spot to wherever I’m headed to and I very rarely get lost. I learned to drive with a manual transmission on the left hand side of small, busy streets in Trinidad, since then I’ve driven a variety cars, buses and trucks. The first time I drove on a different side of the road was a in manual transmission Rover on the Autobahn as Porsches and Audis whizzed by. I’ve navigated streets barely wide enough for a single car in London, drove from Seattle to Nashville in 5 days, safely delivered 15 people in a van on ice covered roads in North Carolina and before the end of this year I will be doing laps on the famed Nürburgring.
My friends joke that finding parking spaces is my superpower. I can go to almost any mall and find parking about three spaces from where I need to be, the kryptonite to my superpower seems to be Opry Mills Mall. This superpower of mine seems to extend to any vehicle I’m in and to my wife to some extent, it comes in very handy during the holidays when you work retail. I guess with this particular set of skills I would make a good getaway driver.
my former boss penney’s husband had a magic touch with parking spots. very much like TV or the movies, he ALWAYS got the spot right in front of the building he needed to go into in ANY city. ny, boston, LA… anywhere. it drove her crazy. i think his smug smile as he pulled into all those parking spots over the years lead to their divorce.
but she still likes to go out to dinner with him and the kids and let him drive, so they get that spot in front of the restaurant.