Running Scared

Or should I say, “Running Scared On Empty” instead? What does that phrase mean you ask? Well, that is the continuous nagging feeling of dread that seems to have encompassed most Atlantans this week… or so it seems to me and in my world. It is the feeling that one might not make it from Point A to Point B if the gas tank is not fed enough gas. Now granted I am used to driving a gas-guzzling hog of a truck in lieu of a cost-efficient soccer-mom-type sedan… and the fear of not getting enough gas to do the daily tasks of going to work, driving back home from work, going to the grocery store, etc. is not really as bad as it once was… however, the feeling is still there! I mean seriously… my Taurus has well over half a tank of gas right now, but the lingering want to stop at any gas station that a) actually HAS gas and b) doesn’t have a mile of cars waiting to fill up is BIG TIME on my mind! That nagging feeling just seems to eat at me all throughout the day… and believe me, I check every single gas station I pass now just to see if they have bags on the nozzles or caution tape up… all the while mentally mapping out where the available gas places are… so when I do need gas, I know exactly where to go. Based on my observations all this week, it seems that the best time to get gas is around 4:30am on my way to boot camp… less traffic at the pumps and easy to see the pumps from the road without putting my car and life at risk of having an accident while looking… the only downside is that half of the gas stations in Atlanta are not open at that early hour. Hubby called me yesterday afternoon to inform me that he only had enough gas to get home last night… he rode to work today with a co-worker. And then around lunchtime today I realized that I am supposed to take my Grandmother to the doctor tomorrow down in LaGrange… I panicked! How in the world am I going to get there and back without gas? There’s that panicky feeling of dread again! Fortunately, I managed to get around that whole scary scenario and begged someone else down there to take her… thank the good Lord for quick blessings. In the meantime, what happens if the tankers of gas don’t show up between now and next week? Will folks have to stay home and miss work? Especially those who don’t work anywhere near the office? Or is it our unspoken duty to ride all around Atlanta over the weekend trying to find gas so we can drive to work as usual? Is this par for course for the future? Fuel seems to be the most precious commodity we rely on day-to-day to live our lives… and it seems to be waning at an extremely fast pace…and then what happens next? Is it just me or is this whole week of financial scares and gas shortages really taking a toll on everybody??!