I've never been comfortable with someone else behind the wheel. Maybe it's an issue of trust, or I relish being the driver of my own destiny, or maybe roads are scary, fast, unpredictable venues.
It takes a good deal of courage, a heavy dose of trust and feeling like taking a risk to be a passenger in someone else's car.
There is no control. There are dozens of decisions to be made and a hundred moving objects to watch out for. Driving is, simply put, stressful.
So my friend picked up a new car. I kept eyeing it, checking it out whenever I could. Everything about it was foreign, new, scary. The color, door handles, seats, controls...yikes. My first ride as a passenger was a sensory overload. I couldn't reckon the new seat. Every cell in my body was on alert, deciphering.
The sounds, engine, tires, brakes, alarm indicators all unfamiliar and sources of puzzlement. The way the car moved, the height from the ground, new fangled lights and sensors made me positively dizzy.
I couldn't locate, find anything familiar to hold onto. No anchor, solace, familiar hum or vibration. All the muscles in my body tensing, teasing, way overdone.
It was a short ride but I kinda lost my mind. It felt like a cross-country airplane jaunt where I continually worked to orientate myself, whisper that I was safe and calm the internal alarms.
Riding in cars...few people probably ever give it a second thought...but, they aren't Aspie.
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