Into the Woods

“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” -- Bruce Lee

I can’t remember the last time I drove a car, but whenever it was, you needed a key to open the door and a rearview to back up.

After moving back to New York in 1997, I decided to get rid of my battered old Toyota. I didn’t want to deal with the traffic and parking headaches or the hideously high auto insurance costs.

I decided I didn’t need a car in this city with its subways, buses and ferries. Yes, I hate the subways with a passion, and I constantly complain about them, but the truth is that the trains are a pretty efficient way of getting around.

But I had to reacquaint myself with the latest in auto technology last weekend, when my sister, auntie and I traveled to my aunt’s farmhouse in the Berkshires.

My aunt and her late husband bought this old house in Cummington, MA since the 1970s and I’ve had many wonderful times there over the years. The area is fabulous with its beautiful scenery and excellent arts community.

Time has been relentless, however, and my aunt has made the very difficult decision to sell the place. My sister and I went accompanied her to get some the clothes, books and other items together and prepare the place for the market.

We took Amtrak to Springfield, MA, picked up a rental car and made the hour-long drive to a bed and breakfast located a short distance from my aunt’s farmhouse.

I must confess that I was a bit nervous about driving again after all these years of being out of the saddle. Naturally, I panicked and imagined all kinds of horrible accidents, breakdowns and confrontations with bug-eyed road ragers.

We picked up the car from the Enterprise location in Springfield and the Enterprise theme continued when I got behind the wheel of the Nissan we were renting and felt like I was piloting the shuttlecraft from Star Trek.

Apparently, keys are no longer a thing. Instead, you get a remote that unlocks the door and then you start the engine with a button like a washing machine.

On the Road Again

The rearview mirror is still there but every time I shifted to reverse, the screen on the dashboard lit up to give me a televised version of the world behind the car.

Shifting into geezer mode, I muttered that I don’t need no damn TV camera to back up the damn car, I got the damn mirror. But I lost that attitude after a day or so and gradually started using the TV. It is pretty cool.

We had a little trouble getting out of Springfield, but once we found our way, I got right back into the driving habit.

All my cars have been second-handers, and I’m so used to watching out for smoke to come billowing out of the engine or listening for some part to fall off on the road. It was nice to have a new set of wheels for a change.

I was starting to enjoy myself and when I got closer to Northampton, I felt like I was coming home.

I remembered how much I loved this area, and it hurt to think we’d be losing our base here.

We went through that pain over a decade ago when we cleaned out and sold our parents’ home and there’s nothing good to be said about it. There's this eerie feeling of imagining other people occupying this beloved place combined with the ice-cold logic that you have no choice in the matter.

Our B&B was very nice. I was happy with my room, the property was lovely, and the residents included several chickens, a dog named Ginger and a beautiful black cat who was called Blackie for some odd reason.

We took a couple days to pack up several boxes to be shipped back to New York and then it was time to hit the road again and head down to Springfield.

During our stay I started to fantasize about moving to the Berkshires. The winters are worse than New York, of course, and I’m concerned that I might give into my reclusive side if I lived out in the boondocks.

And, of course, I’d have to buy a car, and it would have to be used—maybe one with no TV screen and no push button ignition.

When I got home, I made notes about what about had gone right during the trip and what I needed to fix. I was happy with my driving, but I let my temper get the best of me and that was so disappointing.

There was one moment where I was particularly frustrated, and I walked outside to calm down.

This is like an endurance contest, I whined to the chickens.

And then I realized that, yes, it was. Life is pretty much an endurance contest with all sorts of challenges and obstacles.

The best you can do is fasten your seatbelt, check the rearview mirror, and keep moving forward.