Awe and Woe

When life feels overwhelming, I like to take long drives, often to the beach, to clear my head. I switch up my routes to keep things fresh. On this particular day, I took Sunset, from West Hollywood, all the way to the PCH. As I drove West to the ocean, I felt myself release the tension of the day, and my cares started to slip away. I noticed that the license plate on the car in front of me said AWE, as well as some numbers that are insignificant. I pay attention to the messages on license plates. I thought that this one was appropriate, as I was in awe of the winding, Jasmine scented road leading to the glittering pacific, that I would soon stand in front of, most likely feeling awestruck. The AWE license plate was in front of me the entire drive, all the way to the water.

A few hours later, heading back to the city, I decided to take the same route, Sunset Blvd. I drove for a few miles until I noticed that the license plate on the car in front of me said, WOE. I followed WOE all th…