When people asked me about what I feared most about my move to school, I told them it was driving home from LAX. Today was that day. We were told to move in any time after 2, so obviously we showed up at 1 and beat the rush. My dad and I had all my boxes and crap in my dorm within 20 minutes, so we drove to Target to pick up some food and a new (giant!) t.v. Then we headed back to school, and more people had begun to show up, including one of my roommates Janna (super cool so far!). After introductions, I told her we were going to LAX and I wasn't sure what time I'd be back. The look on her face was the same as everyone else's when you mention going to LAX, pity and fear. NOT FUN! So my dad and I hopped in my Honda and drove to the airport, getting stuck in traffic a bit, but being able to view the traffic across from us, backed-up for miles.Cue adrenaline pumping. Then we got to LAX, with it's crazy drivers and confusing gates and the turns. Imagine Shoots and Ladders in killing machines. My dad keeps saying "You'll be fine. If I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't let you. God is your co-pilot." To which I looked at him and said, "That does not prevent death."
There we are, at the airport departure area, my dad grabs his backpack, hugs me, and leaves me...alone...in Los Angeles. More adrenaline. I wait for my turn and pull out into the rush of cars. Then I try to follow the GPS...but what is this, I merge into one lane, but now I need to be on the opposite side for...oh, there goes my exit. Crap! There goes my nerves. Panic! Follow the GPS around, somehow (GOD!) am in the correct lane from there on out. I think I'm going to the 405, but wait. As I'm stuck in traffic, in only two lanes, I look over and BAM! There it is! Beautiful and shining right in my face! My reason for coming here! The OCEAN! Waves are crashing in, huge and frothy. There are surfers out in the distance, and people playing beach volley ball in the sand.
I realize, this was not the way I was supposed to go. However, my GPS tells me to drive, so that is what I do. Right along the coast. Every time the traffic stops, there it is, to my left. The Pacific Ocean. Then the fog rolls in. Not the kind of fog that you have to cut through with your car, but the kind that sits on trees and makes everything look mysterious and magical. I put on a c.d. Ashtyn made for me and just sat in awe. The waves crashed against the rocks. Children play in the sand. Surfers sit on the waves as the moved up and down. Then, even the traffic lets up. I feel so calm and at peace. Everything around me is glorious and breathtaking. I keep driving.
I drive up a hill, and the fog gets heavier. I cannot see more than a few hundred feet in front of me, but I am the only car on the road. I hook around corners, and then I see the moon. Or, at least, I think it is the moon. In the middle of the fog, shining through. Then, I realize it's the Sun. I'm looking directly at the sun. In the middle of this darkness, there it is. Then the hill starts going down, and the fog dissipates, and the sun shines through, onto a beach. I'm driving down the hill, starring at the waves roll in and out in rhythmic patterns. Then another hill comes, and as I come down, another beach! Glorious! I look over at the GPS and realize my turn is coming up, and I turn away from the ocean and go back to my new home, feeling so much joy and peace. What started out as the most horrifying experience in my mind turned into such a blessed and Holy time.
Oh, and there was a sign that spelled out COAST and said "Concentrate On A Safe Trip" which I found counterproductive because people are reading this sign while driving. Does not seem particularly safe to me.
