Driving Miss Daisy

If you follow my blog or know me at all then you’ve heard (read) my discussions about how torn I am between being country and being proper. Well, nothing has changed, we’re just moving on to the driving conundrum.

I’m no Miss Daisy, but as a good southern woman I prefer to be driven whenever I’m out with a man. This is most certainly not a hard and fast rule, but it is traditional. What can I say? I like tradition.

See me in the back seat?

But here comes the conundrum… one of my greatest passions in life is driving.

I love everything about it – the wind in my hair, the feel of my car winding down a switchback road, the sound of music drifting out my windows into the open air. And more than that, it’s my version of therapy.

Again, if you know me at all, then you know that I drive when I’m upset. Have no fear fellow drivers, I don’t go cruising around if I’m too upset to be safe, but if I just need to clear my head and get some perspective on a situation then nothing is better than a drive down an old back road.

My proper side loves to be driven. My country side loves to drive. It’s a war of independence, a clash of ideals and I have no control over it. At least I don’t feel like I do.

This issue only recently surfaced and its origin traces back to an incredibly unhealthy relationship I had with my ex-boyfriend. He always drove us everywhere, which was great in the beginning, except we always took my car because his was unreliable.

Then it progressed to the point where he did not allow me to drive my own car when we went out. Period. No discussion.

I know what you’re thinking, and no, I have no idea why I stayed with him. But I digress.

Luckily the relationship finally ran its course and I regained full control of my car. But now I struggle to let anyone else drive it, let alone a man. I need to reaffirm my independence and my control over my own life, so I’m doing it in the simplest way possible – driving.

So am I proper or am I country? Do I want to drive or be driven? Do I want beer or wine?

Bless your heart, if you know the answer I sure wish you’d tell me because I’d love to know.