Oct. 29, 2001 - 21:21 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Over Time

There is physical change, once I was little now am not. Mental, once I knew nothing and thought I knew everything and found out I knew nothing. Optical, once I had 20/20 vision and then my eyes got like softballs that are hit too often and also sported cataracts. Then they were removed and the sky flowered blue again. Still the everpresent glasses.

There was a natural progression through schools, jobs, then marriage and children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. Peoples characters grow up like trees maybe or go underground like a gophers burrow.

Also are things that happen through no fault of our own, good things too, that we had no hand in. Recently I noticed my driver's license had expired this April. Bummer. Real bummer. Heather has recurring spells of illness, luckily none recently, that require that I take her to the doctor's or the ER and there are times that trips to the store are required of me. The thought that maybe in the near future one or another of the kids would have to take us around when she ails was devastating to me. The thought that we might be a couple of oldsters who had to be hauled to the grocery store or mall by the bus owned by the apartment complex. Frightening to say the least. Neither of us are ready to be shoved that near to the fireplace and sit there to molder.

Since I made the belated discovery of the expiration of my license, frequent and frantic study of the Colorado Drivers Handbook has been an evening and daytime chore - in between everything else. Fear of the foibles an examiner for the driving test might have rumbled in my innards. Fear that even though my eyes had been tested recently maybe something had gone bad to where I couldn't pass the mechanized monster's eye test. Also the fear that I would be put through some kind of physical exam and deemed too damned old to drive. I felt I could pass the written test.

I remember my license expiring once when I was younger. Even if it was only a day past the expiration date a person had to take the written test, the eye test, and a test drive with an examiner. Back then I had let my chauffer's license expire which entailed a bunch more questions on the exam. A daunting thought that, to this old geezer.

Last night after supper I sat down to study the handbook and discovered a difference. Quote, "Once you obtain a Colorado Driver's License you will not normally have to repeat the written or driving test, unless," and in the short list the zinger was, "You let the license expire for more than one year." I read it and re-read it, took it to Heather to see what she thought. Finally we decided that all I had to do was give them my old license, pay the fee, break their camera, wait a spell and walk out with a current drivers license.

Which we did after other necessary errands today, one of which was taking older son to our bank and putting him on the list for access to our safety deposit box which had to happen when he had the time off work. We showed up at the License bureau after three this afternoon and joined the mile long line, well maybe half a mile. After standing in line about so long Heather offered to stand it alone for me, so I sat and watched the clock dreading that they would close before my turn came. Heather reached the head of the line, I joined her and it went like clockwork, with a very short wait for my laminated license and off we went. My only dissatifaction ? The damned picture shows an old man, nerdy. Its good for five years, discrimination for sure, young folks licenses expire after ten years. Oh well, if I am still around then, I will fire up my walker and go get the next one.

So, all that unnecessary fretting and stewing were done for nothing just because I had not attentively read the front of the handbook. Which once again points up to me that things do change Over Time . . . . . . .

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