When I open my wallet, every time, I notice my driver's license. The license that granted me my freedom. The license that I worked hard for and the license that forced me out of my comfort zone. It is just a card. But, it represents so much more than that. It represents the amount of parallel parking I did to get it just right for the test, and all the mistakes I made while doing so. That small card holds the memories of my first time slamming on the brakes at a yellow light, and the first time accelerating on an interstate. It holds the memory of encountering that first main road feeling anxious that I had no choice but to drive at thirty miles per hour. I said,"Mom, it’s a main road, what do I do?", and she simply said, "First step, turn." But most of all, it carries the feeling of accomplishment I had when I saw the word PASS next to my name after the big test. 

When I look at my picture on the card, I think about the first time that I turned on an engine. It’s mesmerizing. You press a button and immediately after, you hear a loud roar. It’s scary, especially for someone who has never heard that rumble before. But, from then on, that roar never startled me. It was at that time that I realized that I had grown. 

Driving pushes you. It pushes you to a whole other world. It pushes you to a world where the mirrors adjust to the way you want it and where the seats are positioned for your comfort. Most of the time, the world doesn’t revolve around you. But a car takes you to a world where it does. It takes you to a world where your keys open the doors. And everyone goes where you take them. If the person in the passenger seat doesn’t like the route that you took to go somewhere, it doesn’t matter, because you are the one in the driver's seat. So, where you go, how you get there, and how long it will take to get there, is your choice, not theirs. 

Driving gives you responsibilities. The driver is in charge of keeping track of the keys, filling the car with windshield wiper fluid, and filling the gas tank. If the driver fails to do one of those things, the car doesn’t move, the engine doesn’t roar, and you don’t get taken to a different world. Being forced to keep track of all of these things has turned me into a more put together and responsible person.

There is nothing like the feeling of driving for the first time alone. To everyone’s surprise, the car functions the same when your parents aren’t in it. When you place your foot on the gas pedal, it still accelerates, and when you want to stop the car, it really does slow down. Driving doesn’t get old, and the feeling of having a license doesn’t wear off. Besides, the car will just transport you somewhere enjoyable if it does. It will take you to a different place, a different world. And you should be able to go to those awesome places. Because you have a license. And a license isn’t just a card. It isn’t something that you have, it's something that you are. You don’t have a license, you are licensed. So that license, that small card, isn’t so small after all.