Parking on the verge

Sort of parked on the verge...at least it's mostly grass

Living in Australia taught me many earth shattering things, like beets are called beetroot, but carrots are not called carrotroot.  You “ring” when you are phoning someone and to “call” is actually to stop by.   You can understand my American confusion at some of the Aussie ways and vernacular.  Fortunately, we had great friends that kept us straight on proper protocol in this once penal colony.

Terminology tweaks set aside, there was the whole driving on the left side of the road.  What’s up with that?  Is it because they are on the other side of the world or just trying to be oh, so British?  I must admit, I never did relaxed when cars were careening toward me from the “wrong” lane. 

Now, that we’re on the subject of cars, it is perfectly natural to park in the verge.  To be honest, I didn’t know what a “verge” was.  Oh, I knew the word as in “edge or limit” but it actually referred to the strip of grass between the yard or sidewalk and the street.  The only time we were ever allowed to park on the grass was to wash the car … never for an extended period of time; that idea of leaking gas or oil and killing the lawn or worse yet, sinking and causing giant divots.  Apparently, this parental edict had not been decreed. 

Parking on the verge seemed like such a bogan (Aussie slang word – essentially a punk) thing to do.  Remembering the make-do car abode, got my over-active imagination turning.  What if I was parking on the edge or brink, teetering somewhere between solid ground and a black hole of infinity?  My parallel parking skills would improve, as would my use of the emergency brake. 

How many things in life are like that; living just on the lip of a precipice?  Without a doubt an uber rush of adrenalin– good for junkies.  But sometimes, we who prefer to not take uncalculated risks – an oxymoron – need to park on the verge.

Paulo Coelho that says, “The act of discovering who we are will force us to accept that we can go further than we thought.” (The Zahir)  Cripes!  Could it be I need to go a bit closer to the edge, being on the verge?  Cripes again!  Here I go…gotta be brave, gotta be brave.

Checking where I’m parking …

Missy

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