Everyone Does It.
I had gone an entire week without filling up my car. What is 60 more miles, right? Right? Wrong.
I thought I could take 64 miles of interstate, highway, country roads, and gravel before needing to fill up with gas. That was before the low fuel (which comes AFTER the less immediate warning light) came on and I was a good 25 minutes from making the boys pbj sandwiches and the nearest gas station.
When I called my aunt for advice (like using mower gas) she was so soothing, and my uncle gave the classic male perspective, “You’ll make it and if you don’t, you don’t.” Back to the soothing that I so desperately needed. She kept reminding me that everyone does this once in their lifetime. And my immediate question was, “But do I do it? I mean responsible ol’ Erika doesn’t do irresponsible things like this. Especially with a 22 month old baby in the car. People trust me to be responsible and make responsible decisions.”
I did everything I could to save gas: coasted through stop signs, coasted for as long as possible after hills, and turned off my air conditioning and radio (hey, you never know). I kept imagining me and a 22 month old baby walking the mile into town on a warm and windy afternoon. Not to mention the steepest hills I’ve ever seen are just a mile out of town.
However, I MADE IT! I literally was smiling, jumping, and clapping my hands together like a seal when I made it to the pump. The guy catty-corner to me gave me a weird look (it stinks that people who are overly happy are considered abnormal. I’m going to blame it on the economy), but I was the happiest girl in the world to see a gas pump. Moral of the story is I’m going to stick to being responsible, and that is why I’m going to continue to study now. Happy Day!
