When you received your first car keys, what did it feel like? Could your younger self imagine the day you are able to drive wherever you like to go? My younger self wouldn’t even be able to picture in their minds of me driving and he wouldn’t believe I made it this far. Driving to go where you want is something that can sound very amusing but also very scary. You may be able to do more things when older, but growing up is one thing that is scary for most people. Time always goes fast for people, like today driving on the road and it feels like just yesterday you were playing on the playground. You can only look towards the future and think positively of what you are able to do with the keys.

The silver, black object with buttons on it was one thing I never imagined having in my life. A small circular object with a rod that, with a push and a twist to the right, can increase the amount of freedom you have. The moment I received my own personal car keys from my parents, my heart was racing and my stomach felt like it was sinking. It took awhile for my mind to realize that I was becoming an independent person and that this very small object was going to give me freedom. The independence this gives me is that now I am becoming a grown, mature person in life and that the person I never imagined I was going to be was happening. In today's presence, I still have these realizations of having a car. The small, silver, shiny car that's still going strong at 200,000 miles changed my life as soon as I put it in the ignition. This also makes me a very appreciative person, because I know I have the privilege of something I can do at a young age that some others don't have. This does come in my mind very often, like when I tell my parents "Bye" when I'm about to leave the house and that they always remind me to, "Drive safe" and, "Be a good driver, because it is a privilege to have that key".

The most peaceful place on Earth that can make you happy for the rest of your life. Home, which was where this was taken and where many emotions can go on here, whether they are good or bad. The emotions when I received my car keys were surprising and unexpected for me since it was earlier than expected. I had already got my license and my car, but all I needed to get was a license plate, tags, and insurance on it. I was walking outside for the bus on the black, solid driveway, about to tell my dad goodbye to school as he went to work at the same time. We both walked in opposite directions until he yelled my name as he opened the door to the porch. I turned around and was expecting something different, like he was going to remind me of something I had to do that day. But it was something I couldn’t believe and it was “I made an appointment with the secretary of state and I’m getting your plate and insurance taken care of”. We both smiled at each other and walked away as he went inside the sturdy, yellow house and me, now in a good mood, walked up the long, curved driveway with good thoughts racing through my mind.

The person that I knew for my whole life who was a huge support in getting me my car was my dad. The caring, loving, but also cautious way he got me my car has made me so grateful for him today. I know for a fact that he is very nervous about me going on the road, so he always tells me every time I go out “Drive safe” and “Make sure to watch for traffic”. It can get a little annoying after awhile, but I know he cares about me and he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to me, so I do like it when he does say this, which is another reason why I love him so much.

With this experience in my life, I learned that time is going fast and if I don’t pay attention enough, it will get faster. I personally think it's like a checkpoint in life, since it’s a pretty big deal when getting older and shows how far I have come. Driving a car may be great and all, but it also means to me my childhood is going to end soon and I don’t want to miss out on it. It also made me appreciative because for my parents to help me out to get a car and spend a lot of money just for me to drive on the road is something that made me filled with gratitude.