I have always avoided carrying my AARP membership card, not wanting it to appear with any prominence when I open my wallet. But what the hell, I'm never reluctant to "ask for the discount", so I put the card in my wallet. I used it on Wednesday when I showed up for my AARP senior driving class at the West Seventh Community Center.
Bob took the class when he was first eligible a number of years ago, but I was never willing to take a day off work, even for a 55+ discount. I recently learned that I could do the class online, but I though an "in person" class would be preferable: I am strong on knowledge but weak on real understanding.
I expected my classmates to be old ladies with thick glasses, and was somewhat surprised that many were younger than I am. And while I did indeed know a lot of the material, most students -- men and women -- obviously did a lot more driving that I do. And they're not afraid of freeways and unfamiliar routes either. So I did feel a little deflated after the first day.
I learned a lot more than expected: how to adjust my mirrors to compensate for the blind spot, the 3-second rule that hadn't made much sense before and, most useful to me, road signs. I hadn't realized that signs and color and shape coded (duh). There's a standard for road symbols in the United States and many of these are actually universal. Minnesota signs conform to the standards, and MNDOT has some easy to understand guidelines.
I've been trying to apply what I've learned, and find that I'm more aware of my surroundings. The real test will be to deliberately put myself in a challenging situation, like the exit from Highway 36 to Fairview in Roseville, where Bob so easily moved over to the far left lane, swiftly and in complete safety.
Embarrassed to admit that after thirty years, I realize that since I know how to get to Rosedale, I could be able to get anywhere in the city of Roseville. Double duh!
