It was the icing on the cake. And sometimes cakes need a little icing, I always say. What I don’t always say is how pervasive a sense of dread hangs over my days. And it frequently takes the form of driving phobia. Yes, it has become a thing. And not a good thing. In any event, there it is…the fear that I will get behind the wheel and something bad will happen. And, yes, Gentle Reader, it’s not entirely without merit, this sort of obsession. Just watch pedestrians idly wander across the street, anywhere in San Francisco. In fact, watch me roll across one of them. There is a lot to watch for and worry about, trafficwise.

Still, too much fear is too much. So I was relieved to find myself getting behind the wheel this morning with Jane and setting off, anxiety be damned, for the Great West. Or to put a finer and more accurate point on it, the Great Highway. The latter is San Francisco’s Pacific front, a windswept four miles of road skirting the breakers. There is a surprisingly wild look to it. In fact, the Great Highway frequently closes down because sand dunes are creeping across it. And, no, they don’t use the crosswalks.

In short, it was an invigorating drive. And for once, the drive was its own reward. True, we did have brunch in the neighborhood. But even if we had returned brunchless, what the hell. The whole thing was a great San Francisco experience. And driving was easy.

In full disclosure, automation has something to do with this. I now have a recently installed power adjustment on my wheelchair’s seat back. Repositioning is one of the body’s great secrets. And if your muscles can’t do it, a small electric motor can.

Returned from this outing, I felt that sense of accomplishment unique to the retired person. Of course, there was a small complication at the end. No parking on our street. So I blocked our garage. Which would play havoc with Jane’s return from a visit with her grandson. So, seeing an empty space up the street…I returned to the field of vehicular battle, and drove my second time of the day. Cherry on the cake. Frosting too. Drive.