Many of you might be wondering what that weird title even means. "How can someones car be their friend or therapist?" Well, let me tell you how.

I spend quite a bit of time behind the steering wheel of my little beat-up Jeep, normally alone. Heading home, heading back to school, heading to extracurriculars, or even just the 2 a.m. run to get food. I practically live in my car. But that's not a bad thing.

I see things more clearly when I'm on the road. My thoughts flow more freely when I feel the transmission shift through the gears. I use that time to reflect, pray, schedule, whatever. Sometimes the drive can be relaxing and full of happiness. Other times...not so much. This is where the therapist part comes in.

I've had my fair share of struggles through life: heartbreak, anxiety, homesickness, and depression. Many times in the past, that's all hit at the same time. And sitting in my room factoring polynomials or balancing chemical equations doesn't really do much to help that.

So I grab my keys and head out, hardly ever a specific destination in mind. I just go. When I get driving, I blast music to drown the thoughts, but sometimes even that doesn't work. So I scream and shout and let the steering wheel, the radio, and even the world hear my problems. And through all that, my car just takes it. It continues to take me away from my stress, or my pain, or even my fears. Over the years, I've shared some sad, awful moments of my life with that car. It knows more about me than most of my family and closest friends. Some things that I'm not proud of.

But the beauty of it all? Cars just keep driving. I can curse the world about the one who got away, or the mistakes I've made, and that car will just keep taking me forward. That steering wheel seems to always know where to turn to keep me from going insane. And even those drives where I thought it would be my last, somehow that car got me home and let me hear the words, "just keep pushing through."

So the next time you hear me saying "I'm just going for a drive. Be back later," I might just need some alone time that's not spent looking at a screen or at my next homework assignment.