Chapter 20 : I moved to the country and now I know why the roads are dangerous (Part 1)

I live in a small town in the mountains and not just your average small. There are just over 100 people in my "city" and I have seen maybe 20 of them. It's about a 30 minute drive in any direction to reach any sort of real civilization and there is only one road that connects us to any neighboring area. I just recently got a job working overnight in one of these cities and things have been going ok, but there is one thing to note. The drive to work is fairly dangerous.

Living in the mountains has its ups and downs (no pun intended) but the biggest problem about being so secluded is that they don't take care of the roads. There are massive potholes and big stretches of bumpy patched pavement. Additionally there is no shoulder to pull off to if you have an emergency, just ditches and large drops. To top it all off there is a TON of wildlife that just walk into the streets at night. From raccoons to possums, coyotes and deer there's never a night where I don't have to stop for something crossing in the dark. This turns my 30 minute drive into a 40 minute one easily.

One night as I was getting ready for work I was struggling particularly bad with my ADHD. I was leaving things all over the house and struggling to remember to finish tasks that I needed done before I left for work, like my laundry with my work uniform that was still sitting in the washer. My coffee that had finished dripping about 10 minutes ago that I had forgot even existed and my eggs that were now beginning to burn as I sat there staring at the pan the whole time just lost in thought. I was finally able to get everything sorted. with my clothes now drying, I sat there drinking my cold coffee and eating my slightly burnt eggs while doom scrolling social medias and getting lost in my mind once again.

I finished my meal and put my shoes on hoping the worst was over. I threw my dishes in the sink, grabbed my keys and headed out the door to my car. I know I had to be careful now, spacing out and burning my eggs is one thing but if I do it while driving it could have way worse consequences. The last thing I needed was to hit a deer or drive myself off a cliff simply because I wasn't paying attention. I sat in the drivers seat collecting my thoughts for a few minutes and trying to reign myself in while trying some meditation techniques I saw on Tik Tok. Once I was confident that I could make the drive without losing myself I started my car and took off out of the driveway.

It was weird driving while at full attention, I noticed houses that I had never paid mind too, a few churches that I had completely missed before and even a rock quarry that I had no idea existed. I had somehow completely blocked all of these things out before but it was kind of nice, it felt like a brand new road. By this point I was about half way through the drive and I hadn't drifted into my mind even once. I was feeling pretty good, maybe I should try meditating more often. Then it dawned on me..... I left my work uniform in the dryer... I was so worried about losing focus while driving that I forgot THE most important thing I needed for work.

I only had one option at this point and it was to go home and get my uniform. I had to drive for another 5 minutes or so before I could turn around but on the bright side I was approaching my favorite part of the drive. It was a long flat stretch of road that ran right through the center of a small town called Evans that was surrounded on all sides by tree covered mountains. The long flat road reminded me of where I grew up, it was the flattest place you've ever seen but I loved it. The drive Through Evans was very calming to me and coincidentally it was the only place to turn around after I left my house.

I continued driving and before I knew it I was approaching Evans. I also realized that I had spaced out for the full 5 minutes leading up to it. I was disappointed with myself, I was doing so well the entire drive but forgetting my uniform at home must have just threw me off. At the very edge of Evans closest to my house there was a small mechanic shop that I pulled into to try and meditate a little and turn around. I was doing too well at keeping my focus, I can't let it end now. After a little bit of deep breathing I started heading home and all I could think about was how stupid I was for leaving without my uniform.