The Time I Didn't Put My Car in Park

Yesterday, I woke up with a million things to do.  I got ready and had to go back in the house to grab a forgotten item three times.  My head was in a million places and none of them were the present.

I pulled up into school, slowed down into the parking spot and started rustling all my things together.  Purse, coffee, school work.

I forgot one thing.  To put my car in park.

My colleagues watched as my car slowly inched toward the curb, then began to hop the curb, all with me being completely oblivious.  I looked up with my purse over my shoulder and momentarily wonder why my car won't shut off.  I realize it's still in drive, and that it's MOVING!

I thrust it into park and looked up to see my wide eyed friend Amy staring at me.  I gave her a sheepish grin as she said, "What are you doing?  Are you okay?"

I was okay.  My mind was just not on the task at hand...much like an earlier incident, this one occurring seven years ago during my first year of teaching.

First year teachers have it rough.  They are in charge of 20 something children yet they have really not developed their personal style of teaching or classroom management.  These 20 something children are fully aware of their novice approach and smell it, like fear.

My first year was rough; mostly because I had no idea what I was doing.  One morning, I got to school, halfway dreading the day and halfway sobbing because I really didn't want to be there.  My arrivals were always early because it seemed like my workload never went away (it never goes away).

I was the first one in the parking lot that day and much like yesterday's incident, my mind was not on the immediate task at hand, which was putting the car in gear.

I simply hopped out, and marched my merry way through the doors of Vogel Elementary.

A few minutes later, a sweet first grade teacher stopped by to ask me why I decided to park down by the trees today.  Aghast, I told her I did NOT park by the trees.  I peeked out the window and much to my surprise, there was my silver Cavalier down by the trees.

I had not put the car in gear, rather left it in neutral, and after getting out, my car simply rolled down the slightly inclined parking lot, hopped a curb, and kept rolling until it stopped in the schoolyard, next to some newly planted trees.

First, horror.  Then, mortification.  Finally, relief.  Those feelings washed over me as I moved my car back to my parking spot and put it in gear as well as lifting the emergency break as high as it could go.

At any rate, I'm batting 1000.  Both incidents could have put me on the news and both turned out to be rather minor.  I'm on a roll, folks.