By Katherine Dominek, ’19
Your alarm buzzes for the third time in a row, causing your eyes to jolt open. Your arm groggily reaches over to press the snooze button and end the monotonous faux rooster crow. Your eyes freeze on the time. It’s now 7:45 a.m. and at this rate, you are going to be late for school. You waste no time in getting ready for the day. Throw on some clothes that you found lying on the floor. Brush your teeth. Skip the coffee. Grab a granola bar. Don’t forget your backpack. And you are out of the door with your car keys happily jingling in your hand.
Pause. Rewind. Play. Skip the coffee. Grab a granola bar. Don’t forget your backpack. And you are out of the door before you realize that you have missed your ride. Stop.
These two dramatizations depict the unfortunate mornings of two students: one with their driver’s license and one without. While in this case having your license would be helpful in ensuring that you get to school on time, sometimes things don’t always go as planned.
Play. You are now on your way to school. The stress of the unexpected delay has left you on edge, causing you to cruise down the street at a speed above the legal limit. A police officer is patiently waiting along a side street, radar gun drawn. You see the flash of red and blue lights in your rearview mirror — you are being pulled over and ticketed. This ultimately causes you to be late for school. Stop.
Having your driver’s license can be both a blessing and a burden. It shows maturity through time and effort taken to acquire the small rectangle of plastic. It also leaves you with a newfound sense of freedom. However, it’s also a huge responsibility due to endless laws and rules you must abide to. Along with freedom and responsibility comes the constant nag of friends and relatives asking you to drive them around or run errands. Though this may be annoying, the pluses of driving definitely outweigh the minuses.
While it may be scary at first, earning your driver’s license is a leap towards adulthood (which kind of sounds scarier). But you know you, so wait until you are best prepared and don’t give in to pressure from friends and family. Good luck and buckle up!