“Traffic” by Julie O’Sullivan

$1,000.00

Growing up and learning to drive in Nebraska where the traffic slowdowns are caused by tractors driving 20 miles an hour, the LA traffic is a far cry different. People you don’t know will wave to you as you pass by and honk their horns as a “hello,” just to be neighborly.

After high school, I moved to New York City and learned to drive in traffic. You were honked at in irritation and if you were lucky, you got flipped off by other drivers and not run off the road or shot. It was a different world. I learned to be very patient and not tailgate. I live in acceptance on the open road. I have no control over the other drivers; I just let them be and let my middle finger rest.

I love the sounds, I turn on opera and sing aloud over the tooting of impatient drivers, frustrated by the traffic jams. I accept that I chose to drive in the city instead of use the abundant public transportation and this is just how it is.

I wave a thank you to those who let me merge and avoid eye contact with anyone aggressive. I have learned to sit back and enjoy the ride. I soak up the atmosphere and relish that fact that I am in an amazing city full of possibilities, opportunities, and wonder. This is just what the roads are like. This is what it means to be a city driver.

Growing up and learning to drive in Nebraska where the traffic slowdowns are caused by tractors driving 20 miles an hour, the LA traffic is a far cry different. People you don’t know will wave to you as you pass by and honk their horns as a “hello,” just to be neighborly.

After high school, I moved to New York City and learned to drive in traffic. You were honked at in irritation and if you were lucky, you got flipped off by other drivers and not run off the road or shot. It was a different world. I learned to be very patient and not tailgate. I live in acceptance on the open road. I have no control over the other drivers; I just let them be and let my middle finger rest.

I love the sounds, I turn on opera and sing aloud over the tooting of impatient drivers, frustrated by the traffic jams. I accept that I chose to drive in the city instead of use the abundant public transportation and this is just how it is.

I wave a thank you to those who let me merge and avoid eye contact with anyone aggressive. I have learned to sit back and enjoy the ride. I soak up the atmosphere and relish that fact that I am in an amazing city full of possibilities, opportunities, and wonder. This is just what the roads are like. This is what it means to be a city driver.