Some of my happiest and saddest moments in life have happened in my car. I have great memories of driving to the beach with friends, blaring the radio, and singing our favorite songs until our voices were gone. I have memories of listening to sad songs, driving with tears running down my face, because I was upset or frustrated or heartbroken. I have memories of laughter with friends in my car, talking about life. Memories of sitting on my father’s lap as a child as he blasted the song “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” and he let me take control of the wheel. Memories of parking my car and having deep conversations with people. Memories of just driving around with no destination because I felt like it. And of course, all those times your favorite song comes on the radio, so you continuously circle your neighborhood a million times before parking because you have to listen to the whole song.

For some reason, my car has been my safe-spot since I turned 16 and got my license. I loved driving to and from school because it gave me a chance to be alone with my thoughts. Especially growing up somewhere where freeways were how you got around, it made the drives longer and more fun. I loved my car not because of the freedom, but because of the alone time it gave me.

I find that driving relieves stress. I have heard stories that many parents drive their babies around the neighborhood until they fall asleep because for some reason the car relaxes them. Getting out of the house and not having a destination to go to is one of the best feelings in the world and can calm anyone down. During my freshman year, I missed my car mostly for the ability to go nowhere. To just drive.

This is the time of the year when everyone starts to feel done. We have countdowns of how many classes we have left before finals, countdowns until we go home for a month, and we are all exhausted from life. First semester is always hard because there aren’t really any breaks within the weeks. So lately, I find myself driving more and more.

One of my best friends had her heart broken not too long ago, so we went for a drive. We didn’t talk, we just drove with the radio on and it was one of the most heart-to-heart situations I have faced in life. The drive relaxed her and we drove until she couldn’t cry anymore tears. We went to Sonic, parked, and talked life over. It turned her broken heart into a scar. She felt better already, we drove home, and she went to sleep.

Driving can make anyone feel better. Whether it’s a short drive to the store, or a long drive across town, with friends or alone, happy or sad, it creates a calming atmosphere. So whenever you’re stressed, I recommend going for a drive. Even if you don’t know where you’re going, it’ll make you feel better. Sometimes not knowing your destination is the best plan.