Intermittent wiper settings

I've always wanted to write about windshield wipers. My 1999 Hyundai Accent GL had these fantastic intermittent windshield wipers that had an infinite number of speed settings because of the dial attached to the controls. My 2007 Toyota Corolla S -- a more valuable and more reliable car -- has one intermittent windshield wiper setting. It's amazing what we take for granted before we don't have it anymore. In Oregon, it should be against the law to sell a car without variable speed windshield wipers. At the very least, Oregonians should come to arms and chastise those who choose to sell cars without this essential feature. In this state, variable speed wipers are an essential safety feature and we all seem to be pretty keen on seat belts.

I've always found variable speed, intermittent wiper settings to be reflective of my life. We jump forward, swiping ourselves into action, and we pause -- sitting on our thumbs just long enough to make our next move effective.

The stretch of I-5 between Enchanted Forest and Albany is a long, boring, usually wet and rainy stretch of road. It's on that endless strip that those intermittent settings are so critical. Fifteen miles of 65 miles per hour. It is a  perfect, straight, ribbon of road that increases the chances of a perfect storm, butted against the Cascades.

Who knew that this strip of road would put me closer to effectiveness.

From Albany, to my apartment just off of Walnut, I can see the crest of the impressive Mary's Peak. The move that set me driving back down I-5, back to Corvallis, has been the most time sensitive and effective move of my life. Move, pause, and move again -- collecting the beads of moisture that had come to rest on the surface. From a view of Mt. Hood and the expansive Columbia River Gorge to the shadow of Mary's Peak and the tracked valley of the Willamette River.

No more commute. No more need for variable speed wipers while flying up I-5 toward downtown Portland.

We collect the beads of opportunity that fall to the surface before us.

The opportunities set before me -- at Hewlett-Packard as an "editor" and at Oregon State University as an advisor to the student newspaper -- have opened a door to an incredible feeling of accomplishment. Here I am, faced with challenge, feeling complete and loved by my man and ready to take on the world.

Flip in into high-speed wiper mode, friends.