I’ve done a lot of driving this past week, and my State Farm Safe Driver app doesn’t like the results, dropping my score below 90% for traveling too fast. What it fails to take into account is that if you go slower than 80 mph on Florida’s I-75, you will get run over. If they raised the speed limit, the pace would grow exponentially. Plus, if you get off on a side road, it gets even crazier. Yesterday, I watched a truck pass four cars in a no passing zone, push oncoming traffic off to the side, suddenly duck into traffic, and swerve after catching its wheels in the dirt shoulder. We are all lucky to be alive today. 

In the last five days, I’ve driven to two golf courses near Bradenton, up to Anna Marie Island, down to my granddaughter’s pre-school in Port Charlotte, over to Leesburg to visit my sister, and this afternoon to a luncheon in Palmetto. I don’t enjoy driving anymore, so it’s always a hassle to leave the safety of my neighborhood. I’ve also now been relegated to childcare duties on Mondays and shuttle service on Thursdays. As a result, out goes “Matinee Monday,” and writing time, while I’m now setting an alarm to get up earlier to run. 

In the long run, I may not even have time for a part time job with the weeks passing by quicker, as my alone time lessens. The only way to escape all of this is to travel and that doesn’t happen for another month. Plus, being away from home continues to get more and more expensive. We probably should have stayed in Portland, miles away from family responsibilities. Admittedly, I was getting a bit bored with my daily routine, but now I’m starting to feel like I’m no longer retired.