Time with Old Reliable

Yesterday morning called for a 6:45 AM flight. That meant getting up mighty early (for me) and out the door by 5:15 AM to head to the airport. I normally commute to work on a motorcycle, but if I’m heading to the airport with a travel bag, it’s gotta be a car day. Like most of you, I have a modern driver; something safe to rack on the miles and gets from point A to B with little drama. This was not the case yesterday at 0′ dark thirty when the battery decided to fail on said ‘driver’. There wasn’t enough time to monkey with getting out cables or finding the jump pack, so I’ve got to swiftly move to a plan B: The ’57 Pontiac Safari wagon would have to fill the bill. She’s considerably louder than the new car, so I fire her up as quickly as possible and creep out of the garage. The first thing that comes to mind when I jump in one of the old cars and head down the road: Take your time. Savor it. It takes a little extra time and awareness to drive a 60 year old car. Time to warm it up, time to bring it to a stop, and this particular morning, time to get gas too! I don’t miss the modern driver’s great stereo or modern climate control when I’m driving my Safari… I’d rather hear the 347 Strato-Streak running strong and feel the road beneath through that gigantic skinny steering wheel. Old Reliable was a nice mental reset on an otherwise uneventful morning that would have been spent in a mindless rush. Time well spent.