How I Learned to Drive Again

“I’m an excellent driver.”-Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbitt in the 1988 Oscar-winning Best Picture “Rain Man”I love driving. I always have. Even when I was a kid, I was always trying to find toys I could drive or driving rides at amusement parks. Of course, I had a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe…you know, the red plastic car that you drive with your feet, with the yellow roof, the big set of eyes on the front, and a steering wheel. Even my Barbie doll’s bright red Ferrari was a prized possession. In Disney World, while my peers were clamoring to ride Space Mountain, I wanted to drive the gas-powered cars at the Tomorrowland Speedway or, once I was old enough, the water sprite boats you could rent at the Polynesian Resort. And go-karts? Yes, please!But I used to take driving for granted. Once I got my license, there were only two stretches of time when I didn’t drive: the summer of 2000, which I spent studying abroad in Spain and traveling around Europe on planes and trains; and the first 9 weeks after I had open-heart surgery, while my sternum healed. All that changed in June 2019, when I lost my ability to walk and, with it, my ability to drive. My coordination was taken from me by what I would later discover was an Autoimmune Sensory Neuropathy. It forced a driving hiatus that lasted nearly 3 years and left me yearning for a missing piece of my independence....This week’s questions:What does driving mean to you? Have you ever had to pass a driving assessment test as an adult?Related Posts:https://whatsherproblem.substack.com/p/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do?r=heamx This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whatsherproblem.substack.com/subscribe