Mirror, Mirror, On The Glass...

My father was a truck driver at one point in his life and knew how to get from anywhere “here” to anywhere “there.” He taught me how to use power and telephone lines to judge which road will get you to civilization. But most of all, he said I should always know who is around me at all times while I am driving.

Always.

To what extent did he impress this on me? I’ve practically worn out car mirrors just by looking at them (through them?) to see what’s behind me. Main mirror, side mirror, occasionally right-side mirror: who’s there, where are they going and what sort of cushion room do I have in case something happens.

I was traveling south on 315 one fine day when someone going north lost their entire right-side wheel. It took off, bounced off a rocky cliff wall and headed over in my direction – actually, toward my car. There wasn’t time to check the mirrors, but since I already had, I knew I owned the road and could swerve to avoid disaster.

It’s good for when I am backing into a parking space with a car on my left. As long as I can see one inch of space in the outside mirror, I know we’re not going to “kiss.” People standing around watching don’t always share that opinion, but when I reverse the front wheels, swing the car around the straighten it out, I smile with contentment. Another backing-in park job with my favorite mirror.