Vermont taught me a valuable lesson that only cost me $162.
Watch out world! I’m back in the driver’s seat again and learning all the life lessons.
So your Sunday love letter is arriving on a Tuesday. Simply because on Sunday I was wrapping up an incredible experience in Vermont. I learned so much. About me, about the amazing individuals on the trip, and some extra weird things about Vermont.
Por ejemplo:
Elvis lives, and he runs a bookshop in Woodstock.
Vermont is haunted. A ghost named Pontrain joined us on our trip. He flickered the lights, knocked on doors, and played in attics during the night.
Alpacas don’t have top teeth, so when we got the chance to feed them FROM OUR VERY OWN HANDS, they chewed like this.
Plant-based diets can be colorful, exciting and satiating. Especially when Beach Baby Green is in the kitchen. (I mean, I personally already knew this but now 7 others do, too.)
With that said, I eat so much more than the average individual.
If your guests are overstaying their welcome, just blast Cher really loud on repeat until they can’t stand it anymore and leave.
Fires are really freaking hard to start. Why did I think you could just throw a couple of pieces of wood and paper in a pile and drop a match on top to create a sexy, blazing inferno? I am a fire sign, for crying out loud! Isn’t it in my celestial DNA? If I had to guess, I spent about ⅛ of my time in Vermont attempting to light fires, only for them to sizzle out anywhere from 30 seconds - 10 minutes later.
Not everyone in Vermont wears flannel. When they do, it’s in the form of a thong, known as a VONG. Definitely click on that.
I love hosting. It’s fun, challenging, eye opening. Something always happens that you least expect (i.e. leading a group on a hike that has no lookout point). You have to be flexible & innovative. Stay calm, go with the flow and trust yourself. With these little tools, you can do anything.
Driving is freedom.
Let me dig into that a little bit more. I started driving again (an actual car, that is) this year after a decade-long hiatus. I do have a fabulous, sassy little white scooter named Pearl who safely carts me all over the mean streets of Miami. But, we can only go so far (she has a hard max of 35MPH). So if I really want to go somewhere….well. I can’t.
I made it a goal to drive again. Specifically, to drive by May for this Vermont trip. I wrote it in my 2022 list of resolutions.
And I did it. Dude. The liberation is so surreal. Assuming you, the reader, have never taken a 10 year break from the wheel, I am here to remind you. DRIVING=FREEDOM. There is nothing as breathtaking as slipping into the driver’s seat, settling behind the wheel, and knowing that you can move from Point A to Point B, with music playing, seat warmers, and the knowledge that POINT B can be literally (almost) ANYWHERE YOU WANT IT TO BE. I love this feeling so much that, when I finally drove by myself for the first time, I felt SO COMFORTABLE THAT….
I got a ticket.
Yes. I did. Insane right? The first time I got behind the wheel with no one in the car, I got a damn ticket.
Here’s how it unfolded in real time.
I get in the car, smiling uncontrollably, one might describe this as giddy. I fiddle with the radio to find the right song (Nas) and I carefully follow the speed limit (5 MPH over, of course) toward the store (to buy Sparkling Rose for an impromptu Happy Hour). I feel alive and at one with the universe. I am so comfortable. I belong here!
Meandering along, I send a quick text to the group: “Happy Hour at 6:45!” Continue on my way. Realize that something other than the rose is sparkling in my peripheral. It’s a cop. I check my speed, it’s within reason. He must be pulling over the driver in front of me. I move to the side of the road, expecting him to pass. Only he doesn’t pass, he pulls up behind me and saunters up to my window. “Do you know why I am pulling you over?”
I have absolutely no idea. None.
“No?” I squeak out.
“We do not allow use of cell phones while driving in the State of Vermont.”
I look down at the cell phone, IN MY HAND.
My brain is frantic. Bethany, cry! Plead!! Flirt!!! FIND A WAY OUT OF THIS.
Silently, I hand over my license and wait while he does his cop thing in his cop car. I contemplate the fact that I put up absolutely no fight (New year, new me. I’m 38 now, you know! The epitome of maturity!) because he is totally right. I didn’t even realize I was on my phone, which is what struck me the most.
Let’s rewind about a decade. Were you on your phone 10 years ago as often as you are today? Probably not. I know I wasn’t. So, the phone is just another obstacle I must overcome when hitting the road again (other noticeable differences include a host of new buttons and screens in the car that didn’t exist in my 2003 green Honda Civic named Cecile, which was my first, and only, car).
So to be honest I feel, kind of…grateful that he pulled me over. This ticket is simply insurance for me. Essentially, I paid $162 (well, I WILL pay $162 since the evidence is still sitting on my kitchen table) to be a better driver in this day and age.
If I take a while to respond to you, just assume I’m driving :)
That was a long one. Sorry…? Hope you gained some valuable insight. Like, some learning experiences cost more than others, but they’re all quite useful in the end.
With love,
Bethany
