Milestone

Yesterday my daughter, Emma, passed her driver’s license exam! I had very little doubt that she would pass the test. She is a good driver. I knew that if anything would screw it up, it would be her anxiety getting her flustered. Didn’t happen!!

The day before the exam and the morning of the exam two weird things happened that, if I were superstitious, could have been omens of portending doom.  I’m not and they weren’t!  The night before the exam, I got out of work at 7 I decided to give Emma one more chance to practice parallel parking at the exam site. She got in the car to drive there, pulled onto 22 at Cedar Crest, and immediately the car started smoking out the back so much so that we could have caused accidents because of low visibility.  We got off the next exit and got it checked out. No one could find anything wrong. By then it was too late for more practice. Nothing has happened with the car since.

The day of the exam, we got there early. That’s what I do!  The examiner approaches and introduces himself. We sign the necessary forms. Emma is pumped to get this over with. It’s raining. He asks Emma to turn on the signals, blow the horn, use the wipers etc.  Then he calls me over. Uh oh. This can’t be good. My brake light is out! What are the chances?! Exam on hold. Have to fix the brake light. Emma was devastated, understandably, and upset.  An Auto Zone up the road bailed us out. Back to the exam site. Pass!!

A big milestone in Emma’s life, and in mine as well.  I didn’t expect to be having these types of milestones at my age, 67. Been there, done that, with my two older kids.  But you know what? It’s awesome!  I can’t wait for the next milestone, most likely graduation. After that engagement, first real job, wedding, children.  Wow!  Life stuff! And I get to go through it all again with a front row seat.

Rose Kennedy famously said, “Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments.”   I get that Rose, but I am going to savor this milestone for a bit longer.  The moments will come day in and day out.  Milestones or moments? I don’t care if you call them Bob! Just let them keep coming. Life is pretty wonderful!