Free Time Essay, Research Paper

Free Time

The wind is blowing through my hair, I feel as free as a bird. Eminem is blaring and I sing along with the song. These are the best feelings I have. I can leave from work having the worst day of my life and get in my car and everything changes. I feel as if for those twenty-five minutes, my life is at ease. Once I get behind the wheel I drive away from my problems and away from reality. I have mainly one focus and that is to get from point A to point B. While doing so I create mental activities which set my mind at ease. That is why I enjoy being by myself, driving.

I drive around sometimes just for the heck of it. Sure, I use up valuable gasoline, but it is all worth it in the end. My car is my get away, my sense of relief. I usually drive alone and when I do, it gives me time to think and to be myself. Sometimes I believe I think too much. I will go off from my outside problems to politics or what I just read about in the newspaper. I will go beyond what I can make sense of and get angry because I cannot do something about these problems. I like to get away and think a lot. I feel as if I never have time to myself. It is time in which I can sink in and endure every minute of. Driving gives me this time.

Relaxation is another key to my happiness. There is no better time to be relaxed, unless I am sleeping, than in my car. I enjoy rolling down the windows just to feel the fall?s cool night air blowing against my face. It is a satisfied feeling. During the day I love to feel the warmth of the sun, knowing I can beat the heat with my air conditioning. Just listening to music and sitting there in my car gives me the abundant feeling of self-assurance. When I am irritated and displaying disturbed thoughts, I usually play music that shares this raging emotion. When I am depressed I can play a slow song, or typically country music. There is no burden I have while playing the songs, I just listen and let go of reality. I take a step out and remove myself from that certain position at that time. This helps calm my anger and ease my sorrows. When I am happy, I love to roll down my windows and play ?happy? music. That entitles anything that has a good beat. I enjoy being alone; I like myself. I could drive for days if I didn?t have anything to stop me.

Driving, I will be the first to admit, may not be the cheapest leisure activity. It is all and all one of my highest expenses. First, I have to pay the monthly payment of $249.70, which always hurts. Then I pay $16 to fill up my gas tank at least once a week. That alone is $64 each month. To top it off I love it when my car needs a tune up or new breaks or every 3,000 miles an oil change. It hurts a great deal when we are thinking about money. Cars are extremely expensive and sometimes I think not worth it, but when I realize what a simple ride in my car will do for my anxiety or mood swings, it feels, emotionally, that the money is worth it. I wouldn?t feel a sense of relief if each time I was feeling down I went out and bought an outfit or something. The money is well spent on my well-being.

As I drive away a better person, I have come to realize that driving has really impacted my life. I stop to think about when I was fifteen years old, how eager I wanted to hold my drivers license in my hand. I wanted that so badly and now I could never give it up. How did I manage to survive without a car for so many years? I believe that once you?ve hit a certain age everything in your life expands and opens up. You find out how people really are and how hard life really is. That age is usually when you can get in your car and disappear for a while. While out on the road I feel in control of everything, but the other drivers. I have control of every button, every switch, and every position the chair will move. I feel complete with the valuable time I cherish and no one can interrupt that.