I Eat Adversity For Breakfast...and then I Get Indigestion.

I didn't take pictures at the DMV, but here are some from my
motorcycle safety class! Notice the manly boots.

Please forgive me if you’ve heard me talk too much about my motorcycle. To say I’m excited about owning one is a bit of an understatement. It’s not so much that I’m excited to own a motorcycle (though I am…I just don’t think I’d be talking about it nonstop), as much as I’m excited to gain freedom. Much like the feeling that a 16 year old gets when he passes the driver’s test at the DMV on his birthday (or in my case, the feeling a 17 year old gets when he finally passes his driver’s test after his 3^rd try…), I am about to finally unfold my wings and fly.

I’ve come to view DC much as an angsty 15 year old views his parents. By that, I mean I feel like DC is an oppressive regime that keeps me on a tight leash, only letting me wander as far as the Metro system reaches. There are things worth seeing beyond the borders of this city, but I only get to go when I have special permission, or a friend can give me a ride. It’s been a frustrating experience, to say the least.

This was my chariot as I learned the ropes. It was slow,
but it was quite trusty, and I passed my tests.

Everyone talks about how much they hate the DMV, but the DC DMV is renowned for being similar to the 7^th circle of Hell (“Adult language” is used in the first of those links…viewer is advised to not yell at me, and understand that the DC government oft inspires that reaction). Keeping track of all the forms has been a nightmare, the fees stand on their own as reason enough not to bring a vehicle into this city, and the requirements for each step of registration are so steep and poorly explained that it’s not uncommon to make multiple trips to accomplish a basic task.

The process of obtaining all the necessities to own and operate a motorcycle legally in this city has been akin to building a puzzle out of pieces made of the same color…in the dark. Much like the average 15 year olds’ sophomore year of High School, it has added complexity, awkward social interactions, and large servings of contact with other people’s greasy skin to my life. I want it to be over, but my experiences at the DMV will stay with me, and probably contribute to a need for counseling later in life.

The view from "The Cockpit." My Speedometer was broken.

My favorite example of this insanity is that I was at one of the three main DMV stations (yes, a city of 600,000+ people only has three “full service” DMVs). I was able to get a new license printed in the building, and I was able to take the motorcycle written test in the building. The logical conclusion is that they’d then print me a new license with a motorcycle endorsement in the same building, right??

Wrong!

Any sane person over the age of three should be able to make that leap of logic. Unfortunately, the planners of the DC DMV must have had an even more tenuous grasp on logic than your average three year old, because to get an ‘M’ on the back of my brand new ID that had been printed literally minutes before, I had to travel about 30 minutes north to a smaller servicing center, where they were able to finish the task.

It may look sunny, but that's because it was. The day
before, however, was wrought with intense rain. No fun

Despite spending 5 hours at the DMV, I have at least 2 more visits before my motorcycle is fully legal (I have temporary tags, so it’s legal for the time being).  Those will likely take a few hours as well, plus I still have a job to go to (though I won’t much longer if I keep going to the DMV and not work…).

I’m sure we’ve all gone through something we didn’t like. There are experiences in all of our lives that we wish didn’t happen. Throughout these experiences, it’s so important to remember that we can’t grow without them. 9 times out of 10, the outcome leads to something positive. This DMV experience is a perfect example of that. I have hated every minute of it, and it’s still not over. However, tonight, as I strap on that helmet, and take my beautiful new motorcycle out on the open road for the first time, all the frustration and gnashing of teeth that I dealt with over the last month will fall away faster than my hair did during my 2^nd year of college…

Positive outcomes…those motivate me to Put on My Shoes every day.

That's tough