I’ve been spending more time this week talking to my 17 year old son, Zack, who is on break from his senior year of high school. He got his license a week ago, and has been negotiating relentlessly for his own car (he got one; we’re registering it now.)
We had a long talk yesterday–in a cafe in Cupertino, no less, about life, and he said an interesting thing.
“You see, Mom, the car is important, because what it gives me is the freedom to leave,” he told me. “Often, I end up stuck someplace I don’t want to be, waiting for someone else, when if I could leave, I would be able to use my time more productively.”
Being able to leave…it struck me that the freedom to leave is important for more people than busy high school seniors who want a car.
Truth is, we all need to feel like we can leave–not just a friend’s house, but our jobs, our friendships, our lives–
We all want the feeling that we have an alternative, a second plan, another path that provides some some resonance to our choices–and that offers an escape hatch if it feels like things aren’t working out.
I’ve been spending more time this week talking to my 17 year old son, Zack, who is on break from his senior year of high school. He got his license a week ago, and has been negotiating relentlessly for his own car (he got one; we’re registering it now.)
We had a long talk yesterday–in a cafe in Cupertino, no less, about life, and he said an interesting thing.
“You see, Mom, the car is important, because what it gives me is the freedom to leave,” he told me. “Often, I end up stuck someplace I don’t want to be, waiting for someone else, when if I could leave, I would be able to use my time more productively.”
Being able to leave…it struck me that the freedom to leave is important for more people than busy high school seniors who want a car.
Truth is, we all need to feel like we can leave–not just a friend’s house, but our jobs, our friendships, our lives–
We all want the feeling that we have an alternative, a second plan, another path that provides some some resonance to our choices–and that offers an escape hatch if it feels like things aren’t working out.