People seem to fall into one of two camps: there’s folks who map out their mileage to the last tenth of a mile, cruising into the gas station on a wing and a prayer and the fuel light burning brightly on the dashboard. Then there’s the rest of us.
I’m a rest of us kind a girl.
I’m a the gas tank is half full, better start thinking about when to get gas, then watch the needle like a hawk as it drops ever so slowly toward the E for Empty kind of girl. My gas gauge hitting 1/4 tank is the rough equivalent of lighting the fuse on a firework then jumping out of my skin as I wait for it to explode in my face.
Can you tell I get a little stressed out by the idea of running out of gas? Because I do. A lot. Like, A LOT a lot.
Ahem.
Then there’s what I can only call lackadaisical, c’est la vie, it’ll all work out in the end sort of people. The ones who see their tank as half full, not half empty. Folks who never in their whole life considered the possibility that the moment they’re driving on fumes they might be caught more than 30 miles from a functioning gas station or their card might unexpectedly decline or it might not be safe to stop.
I admire the laissez-faire attitude. I think their cortisol levels are definitely at a more reasonable level than my own.
But I cannot relate.
Linda hosts Stream of Consciousness Saturday. This week’s prompt is “full/empty.” Use one, use ’em both, use ’em any way you’d like. Bonus points for getting them both into your post. Have fun!

I can be in both camps on the same trip.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This feels accurate😂🤣
LikeLike
Age and having kids made me pay closer attention now than I did when I was in my twenties and drove on fumes. Still, if the weather’s bad or the line is long, I might push beyond a quarter of a tank as long as I don’t have to go anywhere far any time soon. But wait! You never know when…. No. STOP the cortisol. It’s all good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just saying STOP and reining in my brain is a smart thing to do, especially when I’ve gone off the rails and told myself a whole catastrophic story about what might happen.
LikeLike
I won’t say who’s who, but both camps exist here. I have, on occasion, heard the ding and seen the light.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Why did “heard the ding and seen the light” strike a certain chorus of angels vibe for me…😂🤣
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I used to run out of gas when I was young and had no monkey and no desire to do that again
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right? My husband and I did once. I’m freaking out and he was just like “well, I’ll just walk back to that station off the interstate.” He’s definitely one of those everything will work out folks. 🙃
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m like you, though I know that even when the needle is on E, there is 5-7 liters of petrol in the tank- the reserve.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My husband has also tried reassuring me of this but the E keeps screaming at me. 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol! You should put a sticker on the E 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person