So, the Hemingway quote goes that there's simply nothing to writing; all you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed. (Stephen King agrees.) Now, content-wise, those two probably aren't the greatest folks to take advice from. But they sure know what they're talking about when it comes to writing. So, here goes.
One of the things our society is based on, besides lies, is the ability to move places really quickly. Like, 500-mph-in-a-plane quickly. But more generally the idea that running somewhere from 40-75 mph isn't enough. And, it's generally assumed, this is pretty much a fundamental right.to get in the car/pickup/SUV and fly down the highway to wherever it is that we need to get to. At least around Oklahoma, anyway. So, towns are mapped out with vehicular traffic in mind, to get somewhere fast and fairly easily.
You notice things by slowing down on the sidewalk; of course, that you miss sailing by on the road. Like how the remodeling of that new coffee shop is coming along since last Thursday, or that the squirrels are hiding somewhere from the construction noises, the department store or dress shop changed the clothes on the mannequins, or that another downtown fixture now has a "FOR SALE, RENT OR LEASE" sign on the window. And those are all good things to notice, especially when you're a writer. But generally speaking, your life doesn't work that well within the larger societal framework if you don't have wheels.
Because, you know, you kind of have to be able to get to work in order to keep a job, and when you're already a college student with, well, not much in the way of job-experience(which is a different problem and large worry all by itself), not being able to drive really doesn't help much to ease the vast terrifyingly white blank space after this semester/graduation, whichever comes first. And most media jobs(or internships of any kind, seemingly) involves some form of going from one place to another, whether you're chasing down a story or picking up lunch orders for the office. And that kind of leads into another aspect of the downsides not driving includes: You're pretty much stuck wherever it is you find yourself. I mean, there's a certain amount of walkability that varies from place to place, but generally speaking, you're pretty much on an island.
There's nothing exactly wrong with that, but it's meddlesome at best, deeply frustrating and humiliating the other times. Basic things like Wal-Mart, the bank or the post office, for example? Well, you manage your groceries right and use them frugally, timing running out of toothpaste/Diet Coke/shampoo to match somewhere near a time when you can get a ride from somebody heading there anyway. That, of course, means knowing people fairly well enough that on rare occasions you can ask that and it won't be awkward, which is really, really REALLY rare. (It helps if there's extended family living in town. Or your next-door neighbors remember to let you know when they're grocery shopping.) The bank or the post office, that's a bit tougher.
That was why Tahlequah is such a great town. If necessary, I could just call Grandpa or Robbie or Harry or Louise, or the Galdamezes, and I'd feel terrible for asking a favor, but it probably wouldn't be that big a deal. And Stephen and Zach were really cool about things like that, too; if they were heading to Wal-Mart or BCM basketball/volleyball practice or whatever. The main gang of BCM folks, besides school, that's pretty much what life revolves around; the church in spirit if not in name. You take care of each other as necessary, in whatever ways that might manifest itself. Prayer, coffee runs, advice, snark wars, Nerf-gun battles, sports, eating meals together, spontaneous celebrations. All that and more. I know what Ecclesiastes 7:10 says, but sometimes you still find yourself asking those "what if" questions. I know there's a reason that I'm at RSU right now, but I sure don't know what it is.
Anyway, back to the main subject, NSU is located on Grand Avenue, one of the main roads in town, so for about two miles in any direction there's a fairly-easily reachable way to get to most of whatever you needed. (Church, dessert, a park good for thinking in, the football stadium and track, a wonderfully wide-scope-for-imagination restaurant, the library, etc.) It's a very walkable town.
Claremore really isn't. It's probably a fine town, but without being able to explore, there's no way really to know. And roadkill ain't pretty, and it usually doesn't end well.
Sure, yeah, it saves tons of money, not having insurance or gas and all that, or frequent fast-food runs or tickets for ballgames or movies or concerts or all those things people spend money on and talk about when they do stuff together. But...that's kind of what people do when they hang out or whatever. Or hiking expeditions, large-scale garage-saling, those random road trips where you grab a map and spend a Saturday seeing where this road leads. I'm an introvert by nature. But this really amplifies it by necessity. It can be hard sometimes.
If that makes it hard to get to know people, then it sort of makes dating basically impossible. This isn't the 1920's where it was simple like going through the park or walking down to the drugstore for Cokes. (But, back then, PEOPLE WALKED! And those rules were different, anyway. It's much muddier nowadays.) Besides, even if there was someone I was interested in, I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to tell her that or how those expectations would be sidestepped.
You learn to compensate as much as possible; sticking around the apartment, reading or keeping a blog or watching Netflix, etc. And it gives you plenty of time to focus on school. I can only think of two people that I've ever met(Elizabeth and Justin) who have a walking-speed around mine. (The average human walks at three miles an hour. I've never been able to fully complete my speedometer tests due to time constraints, but I'd guess my average speed is five-six miles an hour, more if necessary. But I'm a cheetah, not a husky; a sprinter instead of long-distance.) People around NSU thought it was kind of funny, I heard on a regular basis folks mentioning how I'd be "flying" or "setting the pavement on fire" or "exceeding the speed limit" often.
Maybe this wouldn't be that big a deal if I lived in a huge Northern city with millions of people(yikes.) and it was more culturally acceptable not to drive as much, where there was more public transportation typically used in daily transit, through buses and trains and stuff. Places like New York, Boston, Chicago or Minneapolis. (Why all those cold places?) Whenever I have been able to get past that white-space uncertainty into guessing where I might be in five-ten years, it's either in some crappy apartment in some way-too-huge city or being one of those statistics of "Boomerangs" out of college and still living with your parents.
And forget about traveling for enjoyment - that's really out of the question. Which is disappointing, because that's fun. And informative. And for some reason, even before Cars, I've always wanted to explore in-depth down what's left of Route 66. But more small-scale practical things like visiting friends who might live in another town or state; not really.
There's always been talk of self-driving cars being possible at some point in the future, and the first commercial versions are estimated somewhere between 2017-20. There would be all kinds of problems at the start(GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE) and the whole figuring out how drivers licenses would be earned for visually-impaired people that couldn't otherwise qualify(like me), and then the insurance companies would have to determine how the rates and coverage, etc. worked; but they sure would help. In theory, there would be a lower amount of accidents; whether by not paying attention, drunk driving or too-slow reflexes.
I know this probably just sounds like complaining, and I'm sorry. But it's one of those questions that most people don't really think about how much it affects their daily lives. Some weeks are harder to forget these things, and some weeks it's easier to pretend that they aren't part of life. As the Kenny Chesney song goes, sometimes you want "to drown out these embers/But I remember...." Which could be why it's 3 a.m. and I'm writing this. Back to homework all day tomorrow, and every day this week....
UPDATE LATER THIS MORNING - Though because of a personal choice and not due to disability, the couple running the blog Carless in OKC live without a car and document their experiences. It's an interesting insight that shows maybe it would be possible to live a fairly-normal life in that situation.
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