It wasn’t that long ago that I would drive on Highway 20 at night at full speed (55 MPH), headed home after catching a movie with Lee, John, and Jeremy. (Well, OK, it’s been nine years. Nine years isn’t as long as it used to be, though.)

Either my night vision has gotten significantly worse in the intervening years, or else I was a frickin’ idiot when I was younger my sense of my own mortality has grown much greater. I find myself settling closer to 35 MPH as a top speed at night these days (higher if I can use my high beams), just because I’ve grown keenly aware that I have no chance to avoid anything at a higher speed.

Painfully aware.

This is what they meant by “don’t overdrive your headlights”-aware. I haven’t hit anything, but this knowledge has killed all the fun of driving in the dark.

From what my folks tell me, it’s only going to go downhill from here.