As I was driving out of our Kansas driveway......oops, stop right there. I am rarely (never) in the drivers seat on these marathon drives. I am a good driver, an attentive driver, even a cautious driver but I am not The Driver. I am The Passenger. And there is a big distinction in these positions.
I, as The Passenger, am the one who handles a variety of tasks from the right hand seat with the most important being navigation. Despite having a built in system in our car I like to use the iPad. It lets me input destinations while the car is moving unlike the car navigation which requires the car to be in Park. I can increase and decrease the size of my maps with the flick of my fingers, look ahead for traffic congestion, and easily estimate the miles left to go and our arrival time. I like knowing where we are at all times and sharing that information with The Driver. He drives us safely to the destination, I direct us to the right destination.
As for the other tasks, well, they are endless. The car has to be organized. The purse, snack bag, and entertainment tote within easy reach behind The Driver's seat. Pencils and pens can be grabbed, aspirin dispensed, magazines and newspapers read out loud, beef jerky (not mine, The Driver's) handed out, kleenex provided, and chocolate shared (mine, reluctantly) at a moments notice. I also deliver trip narration by looking up interesting tidbits along our route and sharing them, take pictures of bridges and landscape, critique the driving conditions and other drivers, and occasionally inhale sharply when a semi decides to use our lane while we are still in it. Should reading texts and e-mails become necessary interpretive readings are given. I give nice shoulder rubs, refresh water mugs, exchange The Driver's sunglasses for regular glasses, and manage the radio, audio book, and climate controls. It's my job to keep The Driver awake, alert, entertained and on point.
I, as The Passenger, am the one who handles a variety of tasks from the right hand seat with the most important being navigation. Despite having a built in system in our car I like to use the iPad. It lets me input destinations while the car is moving unlike the car navigation which requires the car to be in Park. I can increase and decrease the size of my maps with the flick of my fingers, look ahead for traffic congestion, and easily estimate the miles left to go and our arrival time. I like knowing where we are at all times and sharing that information with The Driver. He drives us safely to the destination, I direct us to the right destination.
As for the other tasks, well, they are endless. The car has to be organized. The purse, snack bag, and entertainment tote within easy reach behind The Driver's seat. Pencils and pens can be grabbed, aspirin dispensed, magazines and newspapers read out loud, beef jerky (not mine, The Driver's) handed out, kleenex provided, and chocolate shared (mine, reluctantly) at a moments notice. I also deliver trip narration by looking up interesting tidbits along our route and sharing them, take pictures of bridges and landscape, critique the driving conditions and other drivers, and occasionally inhale sharply when a semi decides to use our lane while we are still in it. Should reading texts and e-mails become necessary interpretive readings are given. I give nice shoulder rubs, refresh water mugs, exchange The Driver's sunglasses for regular glasses, and manage the radio, audio book, and climate controls. It's my job to keep The Driver awake, alert, entertained and on point.
The day we left for our trip I was driving because Mr. Y had some business phone calls to take and make. Normally he would do this while driving, using earbuds to keep his hands free, but since these particular calls were more complex in nature I agreed to switch seats. And that worked well until it didn't.
Once the business calls were completed, somewhere around Mile 350, the passenger side of the car became very, very quiet. Sleep quiet. Nap quiet. Nowhere in The Passenger duty description does napping come up. As Mr Y. dozed I drove on down the highway in the stillness knowing that once he was rested Mr. Y would once again assume the driving duties and I would be the passenger. An enjoyable journey was only a few more mile markers away.
No comments:
Post a Comment