parking.

Have you ever realized that for your entire life you’ve taken something for granted, but now you’re faced with the overwhelming importance of said thing? This happened to me recently. It has become extremely apparent to me that parking has never been more important to me. Parking. I mean it seems so fundamental. Like it’s my car’s unalienable right to park within walking distance of my destination. For free.

Not so in Chicago. Parking is a luxury. Since when is a piece of concrete a luxury?

Somehow, growing up in the suburbs parking never even occurred to me as a potential life threatening issue. Could you imagine the uproar that would happen if one was forced to find street parking before going to trader joes or the bank or even the library? Oh, the humanity.

Now let’s be honest, parallel parking is scary. Can we all agree on that? Since living in the city I have successfully paralleled parked at least 3 times. I’m very proud of this accomplishment. All three times have been on the street in front of my apartment. I strategically make Jacob drive if there is even a tiny chance we may have to parallel park. {ok, I make him drive whenever we go anywhere….}

Now, if I allow it to, parking will slowly start to dominate my life. I can already feel its pull. I actually googled mapped Chase locations in the area and drove to the one with the clearest parking lot. Who does that? Plus, on the way back from the bank I wanted to go to the library, and I told myself that I would only stop if I could find a close parking spot. Luckily there was one, and I’m now the proud owner of a Chicago Public library card.

Yesterday a true sense of dread came over me when I realized that in a few short months there will be snow covering the ground. And I will still have to find somewhere to park. And Jacob will be in Flint for 6 weeks for a surgery rotation. This is not going to end well. Parking in the city may be the end of me.