By Lee Scott
My husband and I did one of those magazine quizzes recently. You know, like the ones you see in the Reader’s Digest magazine or maybe a Cosmopolitan magazine — “10 Ways To Know He Is For You!”
This quiz had to do with driving habits. It was not about golf carts or Formula 1 race cars, either, just your own driving skills. We answered the questions separately and then totaled up our scores. The higher the score, the better the driver. You got “dinged” for speeding tickets and accidents.
Our reactions to one another would probably not surprise you. I thought I was the best driver, and he thought he was the best driver. How could two people who live, play, and eat in the same house have such diverse opinions?
As I went through the quiz, I outlined some of my best qualities as a driver. I do not tailgate, I do not speed, I do not text, and when I have a call I need to answer, I pull over into a parking lot. He answered that he was a defensive driver, handled the car well, and maintained an acceptable distance with the cars in front of him.
Well, we disagreed with one another’s assessment. However, I do admit, most of the time, I am comfortable with his driving. And he is always willing to relinquish the wheel to his wife, especially on long trips. Overall, we are both comfortable driving various vehicles, like RVs and trucks, though my motorcycle driving days are behind me.
As we were discussing our differing, very strong opinions, it dawned on me how important these kinds of discussions were for us. Our views differ greatly sometimes, but we have the good sense to discuss why. Now when we drive, we have acceptable phrases when the other person’s driving is bothering us. “Honey, you are making me nervous,” is one I use when we are driving on a busy interstate in the rain. When I am driving, he will advise me when he thinks it is my turn to pass someone. “It might be a good time to get around that dump trunk.” Truthfully, those are not the exact phrases we use, but you get the idea.
There are many of these quizzes we have taken over the years while driving on long trips. It gives us the opportunity to discuss each other’s perspective on topics. Maybe it would help if more people took the time to listen to others’ viewpoints.
As for the quiz, we never disclosed our final scores to one another. Regardless of the test, I still think I am the best driver.
