perspective

girls from detroit know some things about cars. they know how to drive them, for one. they know what to do with jumper cables, can coax a slipping transmission into submission, and will tell you that the CLUNK coming from under the car when you turn is likely the result of a problem w/ the CV boot joint. and while our grandpas think we have lead feet, and should change the oil more regularly ... one thing we all agree on, is that we nEVer drive with a flutter foot.

so this morning on my way to the airport, the driver was doing just that. his shiny little shoe was tapping the gas to the rhythm of some song i couldn't hear. accelerate. coast. accelerate. coast. he was in his groove, and when we were up close to 130km/hr and zipping through cars, i wondered if in his mind he was racing towards the finish of a real life super mario cart grand championship. i wasn't sure if he knew how close he was to winning my breakfast in his back seat.

then it occurred to me that the flutter foot may aCTuaLLy be a sign of a highly skilled driver in shanghai ... one who has to be ready, at any moment, for anything ... and therefore has to always be somewhere between slamming the brakes or jamming the accelerator to the floor?.?.

i never concluded my thoughts on this theory, but when we arrived at the airport, i knew that i had been escorted by an angel ... either in the form of my driver, or because of him.

i crossed "cardio workout" off my list, as i had clearly gotten a good 45 minutes, and was so thankful that statistically, my odds for survival looked so much better for the remainder of the trip.

SF, come to mama.