Reaching Full Potential

"Hello, this is Sandi?" I answered, as I always do when I don't recognize the number on my cell phone.

"Hi! This is Diana from Enterprise. Good news! It looks like AAA has approved you for a minivan rental!"

"Ugh, do I have to get a minivan?" I asked. What am I, a housewife? How would I park the thing in LA? Fill it with gas? Drive it to hikes?

I was peeved I was being separated from my own car at all, but I didn't have a choice after a chain reaction accident pushed two parked cars into the rear of my parked car last Sunday, in front of my apartment, while I slept.

After I dropped my bruised and battered Honda Fit off at the auto body shop this morning, and hitched a ride to Enterprise to pick up my rental car to cover me while my car's in the shop, I had nearly the same conversation.

"Do I have to get a minivan?" I asked. "Can't I downgrade?"

Brian at the counter looked outside and saw only minivans and SUVs available, save for one car. "Would you rather have a convertible at the same rate?"

I paused. I don't love convertibles, because I hate wind.

"Yeah, OK."

I've rented convertibles before, begrudgingly, but I've never driven them with the top down. But the problem with driving convertibles with the top up is that it's claustrophobic in there, and the sight lines - on the sides, and through the rear - are horrible. Add to that a long car body than I'm used to driving, and I'm a menace behind the wheel of an unconverted convertible.

Given that, I decided to put the top down today.

After all, what's the point of driving a convertible at all if you're not going to let it do what it's meant to do? To live up to its full potential?

And you know what? It was windy. But it drove like a dream. And as my hair whipped around my head, out of its ponytail, I was glad I'd given it a chance.

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