I had a new experience today. Okay, so not a totally new experience, but one I’ve only had once in my life prior, and that was about ten years ago. I drove my husband’s F-150. Now, I drive a fairly small car, and while I learned to drive on my mom’s Dodge Caravan back in the early nineties, all of my vehicles have been cars. Also, somehow the fact that the truck is a manual freaked me out even more, even though the cars I’ve driven for the last 12 years have been manuals as well. For some reason that big hulking truck freaked me out (okay, I’m exaggerating. It’s not like it’s on a lift or anything, but compared to my little Volvo it seems gigantic). Add to that the fact that our driveway is a fairly steep incline and that the roads were wet today and you had one freaked out short lady maneuvering a truck through the streets of our small town, but I didn’t have a choice so I rolled with it (quite literally). And I survived. And even parked the truck successfully in the garage. But you guys should pray for me, because my car is in the shop and you don’t even want to know how much Volvo repairs cost. But that’s beside the point.

One thing about driving that truck in small town Tennessee that made me laugh is that it’s not too unusual around here to see girls driving trucks and honestly it’s kind of surprising that it’s only my second time. I hate Southern stereotypes, but you guys, there are a lot of people with trucks in these parts. Another thing you see a lot of? Front porches. Honestly, one of the things that I don’t like about my house is no front porch. It’s more of a stoop….not something on which you can sit. I kind of miss the front porch evenings at my parents’ house, sitting in the wooden rocking chairs and waving at the people that drive by…some of whom you know, others you’ve never seen in your life. Everyone waves just the same, no matter.  I know front porches and front porch sitting aren’t exclusive to the South….but that feeling of community is not something that you find everywhere. I love my hometown.