Life's U Turn

Most people think that a person’s life makes a U turn at age eighteen. They get to make their own decisions and lead their lives the way they want. But really, the age of this change is really seventeen: the first major birthday in a person’s life (in New York, anyway). This is the birthday that a person sees life differently: from the driver’s seat. Now, whether to turn left or right is the most minute of decisions, because in the balance lies the difference between being unscathed and hospitalized, and life or death for both the driver and the people in the surrounding cars.

I could not wait to drive. I got my drivers permit as soon as possible, took driver’s education at school, and then took my road test – passing on the first time. I had to wait a month for my seventeenth birthday to come. I was so anxious. Well, my birthday came and passed, but I still wasn’t driving. What was standing in the way? My father. But about three months later, probably against his better judgment, he gave me the car keys and said, “Be home before dark.” That was one of the many rules, but little steps eventually lead to the same place.

I went to meet two of my best high school friends for sushi. We are all in the same honors and advanced placement classes, literally spending all day together. My time in high school forged friendships that will last a lifetime. But back to those rules my father set: no one else is allowed in the car, no cell phone could be used while driving, and no driving on the highway. So I pulled out of the driveway on an hour-long journey through the streets of Brooklyn. What I hadn’t realized was that I just embarked on trip through my past.

Life is seen differently in the driver’s seat. I have the control. Reverse. As I backed out of the driveway, I looked at the house I’ve spent thirteen years in. I saw the way it changed, just like the people who lived inside of it did. As we added a third level to the house, a third driver was added in the household. Stop. I stopped at the Stop sign just as my parents had done thousands of times. Turn right. At the corner is the Key Food where I now work as a cashier. As I saw the people entering and exiting the store, I thought about all the things working has taught me. I learned things about myself that I would have not known for a while. Last year I coughed up dollars with ease, but now I know the true value of a hard-earned dollar. Turn right. I passed a place that I spent ten years of my life: Saint Bernard Elementary School and the church across the street. All of a sudden I had a flashback to my graduation day, when I was standing at the podium in front of hundreds of people giving my valedictorian speech. Back then, I just saw it as the highest average in the class, but now I look at it as one of the proudest moments of my life. Drive straight. Red light. As I looked to my left, I saw a child on a baseball field swing and miss at a pitch. How vividly in my mind could I remember throwing seven innings to win the championship game for my team. What was once just like any other game is now my best memory in baseball, after all the hours of practicing on the same field with my father. I threw the slowest fastball out of all our pitchers, but somehow the batters could not hit it. Green light. After a while of driving, the sushi restaurant was near. Then I saw a place where I helped injured veterans, but I realized that they still help me today. Now all I needed to do was find a parking spot. Found one. Parked.

Pull away. On the way home, I saw something that was never a part of my life and I hope never will be. I saw an accident; there were police cars and fire trucks, and an ambulance. The car looked as though it was dropped from the top of the Empire State Building. And at that very moment, I realized, I appreciated, and I loved my father for why he did what he did. Keeping me off the road for those three months could have very well saved my life, or someone else’s for that matter. Now I see the impact that my actions have. Sitting in the driver’s seat truly changed the way I see my life.