Today I went to Cat's annual Christmas Party. Cat is a sweet friend of mine who just happens to have Down Syndrome. Cat's sister, Allison, hosted the party in her beautiful new home this year. The only problem is that Allison's new home is across town and requires me to take the interstate. Those of you who know me, know I haven't driven on an interstate in quite a while.
Picture it: Snow in North Carolina (I watch too much Golden Girls)
We rarely get snow in my part of North Carolina but, it sure was coming down hard today. Luckily, it was a balmy 35 degrees so none of the snow was sticking, nonetheless, it was snowing hard enough for everyone to drive cautiously.
As soon as I got in my car, I was imagining getting on the entrance ramp to the interstate. I imagined that I would be so nervous. I felt myself already wanting to get off of the interstate and I was barely out of my driveway. I was also using the GPS on my phone and it had somehow fallen behind my seat, so... I pulled off at Whole Foods to get my hands on it. As I sat there in the crowded parking lot, I felt the tears welling up in my eyes, "I can't do this! I just can't do it! I'm scared. What is wrong with me?" I called my sweet friend Liz who lives all the way in Vermont and asked her to help me. She explained to me that I could either be brave and get on that interstate or I could turn around and go home. I decided to try....
I drove down the ramp, merged onto the interstate and was actually doing pretty good. The chatter in my head was saying, "Oh my gosh, you are on the interstate! You are doing it! It is snowing. You can't make it all the way to Allison's exit. You can't do this. What if you have a panic attack? You can't pull off the road; it is too dangerous. You aren't going to make it without a panic attack." So, I pulled off at the next exit. I drove down some roads that went "who knows where" and after a while, I called Liz again.
I decided to find my way back to the interstate and try again. I honestly didn't think I'd make it but, what the heck right?
This time I ended up keeping Liz on the phone. She talked about this and that. And this and that some more. The traffic was not going 70 mph (the posted speed limit) but a very comfortable 55. I felt some control in that. Little by little I started to realize I could do this. Fifteen minutes later, I was at my exit! I did it!!!
Driving home was a breeze. I'm sure there were many reasons for that to include the fact that I was tired from all of it. (They say being tired helps keep panic attacks away.) I kept my cruise control at a comfortable speed and 20 minutes later...I was back on a "normal" road. Success. It wasn't pretty but, I did it.
Me in my Christmas party t-shirt just before I left for the party.
Yay Liz! You couldn't have picked a more sensible person to talk you through it. I'm glad you made it to your party without any mishaps, because your friend Cat would have been very disappointed if you didn't show up. See? You can do it! Now get out there and do it again. :)
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