Freedom, Four Wheels, and a Massage Appointment
A Small Drive for Humanity, One Giant Leap for Personal Freedom
Yesterday something beautifully ordinary happened.
I got into my van and drove myself to a massage appointment.
For most people, that sentence barely registers. It’s just another errand, another small line on the day’s to-do list. But for me, it felt like opening a door that had been closed for months.
I made the appointment.
And then I simply… went.
Just a decision followed by action.
Freedom.
It had been a few months since I last had that kind of independence, and my body made it very clear how much it appreciated the return of regular massage therapy. Apparently muscles have opinions, and mine had been holding a meeting about this situation for quite some time.
But the real gift wasn’t the massage itself.
It was the quiet joy of knowing that when I decide to go somewhere, I can now simply start the engine and go.
Driving with hand controls is still a bit of an adventure.
My brain is busy rewiring itself in real time. When you can’t use your legs, the entire coordination system changes. Timing shifts. Movements become more deliberate. It’s a different rhythm of driving.
And honestly, it’s fascinating to watch the brain adapt.
Every once in a while my inner scientist pops up and says, “Ah yes… neuroplasticity at work.”
Good thing, too. Because learning a new way to drive definitely requires it.
Then there’s Persephone herself.
She is… technologically enthusiastic.
Let’s just say my old Lexus suddenly feels like it belonged to a much simpler era.
Right now Persephone and I are still in the “getting to know each other” phase. The dashcam alone feels like it could come with its own instruction manual, graduate course, and possibly a small support group.
But I know how this works.
Eventually I’ll sit down, press buttons, accidentally change three settings, fix two of them, break one again, and suddenly my brain will go:
“Ohhhh… THAT’S how it works.”
Learning by exploration. Very scientific.
And then there’s the garage.
Persephone is definitely bigger than the Lexus.
With the Lexus—and the use of my feet—I used to zip in and out of the garage without a second thought. Easy peasy.
Persephone plus hand controls requires a little more patience. A little more precision. And occasionally a moment of deep philosophical reflection while lining everything up just right.
Let’s call it Garage Tetris: Advanced Level.
But like everything else in this new chapter, I’ll get there.
Practice makes progress.
So yes, yesterday’s mission may not sound like much.
But it was Persephone’s first outing with a purpose.
And it felt really, really good.
Because sometimes freedom doesn’t look like grand adventures or epic road trips.
Sometimes freedom looks like this:
And smiling the whole way.
