The way I see it: Driving Miss Daisy

We drive cars!

Big cars, small cars, red cars, blue cars, green, yellow, white, brown, black and even pink!

Some of us like fast cars, expensive cars and classic cars.

Cars that have been hand-crafted. Mr Royce had the right idea!

Some of us love a car that has that new smell, straight off the showroom floor.

Then of course, there’s the ‘petrol head’!

Nothing but a ‘Holden’ man, or ‘Ford’ for that matter! That argument will continue long into this millennium, as it did during the last.

Of course, today, your status is still determined by the vehicle you drive, especially with the ‘Yummy mummy’ set.

‘Yummy mummy’ is a slang term that originated in the United Kingdom, used to describe young, attractive and wealthy mothers. The catchphrase is now commonplace all over the world.

According to that ever ending source of knowledge, Wikipedia: “A yummy mummy would have several children and yet remain a ‘girl-about-town’, dressing fashionably and appearing well-groomed and carefree!”

These women drive SUVs. They think they are in a tank!

Little or no regard is shown to other people on the road. They have but one mission… Drop the kid at school, get into the café and order that macchiato, or affogato and of course none would be complete at this time of year without that eggnog latte!

Their day is taken up with idle chitter, talking about nothing at all really.

Recently I sat in a little boutique café not far from here, watching, listening, wishing I could record the conversations taking place. That would have been very insensitive, but nothing short of fabulous.

Most of these women were wearing the latest Lululemon designed yoga gear and listening to the conversation, I very quickly came to the conclusion, that the only reason, this particular person was wearing this skin hugging outfit, was to get to the head of the queue at her GP visit, for the regular round of botox!

But I digress!

Sitting on the other side of the room, was an older couple, in their late-70s I would be bold to suggest. They had popped in for a ‘cuppa’ and a bite to eat.

Out of their depth, without question!

They were an interesting couple, ordered a pot of tea for two and asked for a good old ‘sausage roll’.

Oops! No good old sausage roll here and the tea was chai tea latte!

I mused as the assistant waved his arms about somewhat like a bird trying flight for the first time!

In the nicest, politest, pronounced voice I’ve heard for sometime, he very sternly announced to the entire café, “Sir, we DO NOT do ‘saus-age’ rolls here! Our food is made to order and you’ll be having?”

The poor old bloke stood there with mouth open, trying to get a sentence out, but to no avail!

One of the yummy mummy’s, at that point intervened. “Elliot,” she quietly said. ”Show some respect! Look, he’s ‘Driving Miss Daisy!’ be kind darling!”

With this, the old bloke just smiled and ordered a pot of regular tea and two of their designer cup cakes.

I struck up a conversation with this gentleman.

Arthur and his wife, Jessie were traveling around Australia, in their brand-new Colorado and Winnebago van. They were country folk, not at all used to the city.

He told me that driving on the motorway scared him and frightened Jessie. He said that people were extremely rude, not at all courteous, shaking their fists at them and honking their horns, after all, they were doing 60km/h!

Arthur couldn’t understand this behaviour, he just wanted to get out of this rat race, get back on to a good old country road!

We talked a bit further, I discovered that he had been a blacksmith most of his life. His dad had worked on the railway, had been an engine driver and in his latter years, also a ‘smithy’. It was where he learned his craft.

Arthur was a proud man, he wanted to show Jessie this wonderful country before he ‘completely lost the plot’ as he put it. He had recently been diagnosed with stomach cancer.

They had cashed in their chips and were on their life’s adventure. He still wanted to go back to the town he grew up in.

“Somewhere beyond the Black Stump” he said.

They were frightened of the road ahead, “an unchartered journey” said Arthur.

At this point in the conversation, Mel, the young mum that had befriended Arthur and Jessie came over and said, “I’ve paid for your tea and cakes.”

They both looked at her and smiled.

“Thank you Love,” they said, almost in unison.

“Good people exist.”

Have you come across any ‘good people’ while out and about? Share your story with us. When was the last adventure you went on?

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