Running on empty

I’m forced to admit it, I’ve been running on empty a lot lately. Back in my college days, running on empty was a way of life. Funds were limited, with only part time employment, the expense of college, dating and the high cost of gas .49 – .69 a gallon you could easily have an empty gas tank.

If you were lucky, a “gas war”, (this is when the prices went down because stations were fighting for your business, not when we’re fighting for gas and the price goes up), the price of gas would drop to .29 a gallon. You could do a lot of damage with $2 of gas. Now things are different. Gas is crazy high. It drives me nuts to see people fill up their big ol’ SUV’s and pump $75 of gas into the side of their car.

I’m stressing when $15 doesn’t completely fill up my little Corolla, (that I now think of it as an incredible sports car). In the past I could fill up the Corolla and drive for a couple of weeks. Not any more. I’ll pull up and complain to myself or anyone standing around about the price of gas and pump $5 – $15 of gas into my car, get back in, think about the college days of gas prices, and wonder where this is going to end. Then a few days later, I find myself back at the pumps for a repeat performance. I’m stressing myself out with repeat trips to the pump, since my car always seem to be running on empty, because I’m frustrated with the price of gas, and won’t top off my tank any more. I keep thinking the price will come down, and I don’t won’t to have a full tank of gas when it does. A vicious cycle.

Not many answers today just some gas. If things keep heading the way they are (record high for a barrell of oil yesterday and record high average cost for a gallon of gas), words like carpool, road rage, third space, bicycle, Sunday drives, gas rationing, virtual church, working from home, and neighborhood events may take on new meanings.

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