The world at night is made of dark corners.
It’s even more noticeable—more striking, more true—on the road at night, when your headlights carve a tunnel through the darkness and there’s no real way of knowing what’s waiting on the other side of it.
I guess that’s why a vehicle at night is my favorite place in the world to be. Not the driver’s seat—being that aware of the destination takes some of the mystery out of the whole thing—but the window seat. Any window seat. Any vehicle. Any place. A family road trip to visit my grandpa in Houston, a late train from Wales to England, just a quick dash from my house to the convenience store and back again—it doesn’t much matter where points A and B are when the distance between them feels like magic.
In the end, I think that’s why I like these nocturnal trips so much. It’s best out in the middle of nowhere, where there aren’t many streetlights and the darkness around you looks like it could belong to anywhere in this world and nowhere in this world all at once. Riding around, gazing out my window, it’s like the night is made of potential: a new, mysterious place where anything could happen. Even every song on the radio feels new, each one a slightly changed, slightly charged version of the same tune I’ve known for years. Riding around, gazing out my window, it’s like my imagination is the one choosing where I’ll end up, and I’m just along for the ride.
It’s the one time in life I don’t worry about where I’m going.
I can pull my knees up into the seat, watch the headlights make shy guesses about the world around me, and wait to find out.
Image Credit: "Night Driving" by Joe Goldberg. Source: Flickr.
I think professional writing is a perfect major for you because your writing style is phenomenal. I took a film and media studies course last year and to my surprise it was very difficult. I did not know how hard a major or minor in that would be. I am glad I got some insight on it though. Wow! That sounds amazing! I would love to read it when you’re done. I cannot wait to read your blogs and I am sure they will be great because of the way you write.
ReplyDeleteI have already checked out your introduction, so I thought it would be nice to see where your favorite place is. It seemed like everyone else in class took the route of a physical destination, but I really like where you went with this. I completely agree with you that staring out your window and gazing at the stars as the car rolls down a dark street is a great form of therapy almost. It is relaxing and magnificent! I really enjoyed this post!
ReplyDeleteI really like your writing even when it is in a more conventional way. You really have the best writings skill I have seen if not one of the best. Your flow is very great and vivid. I think you will continue to grow as a writing too and make something wonderful in the future. I also like how you chose writing in the car as your happy place. To some that might not be seen as serene but it kind of is. Some of my YES moments in life came from driving in the car. I make most life decisions in the car at night. I think what you chose was perfect.
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