Maybe it was the box spring that took flight. That might have been the moment. It had been strapped to the roof of a car driving down one of Tampa’s endless roads. They used dental floss and shoe knots to tie it down. Must have because it leaped to its feet and took to the air like a kite. Yippeee! Fly away little box spring! Straight up, and then straight into traffic. Life will teach you a lot of things, but it won’t prepare you for flying box springs. Surprisingly, that’s never been a question on the DMV’s driving test: What do you do when bedding races toward you? For those wondering, the answer is: Gasp. Swerve. Curse. Change underpants. Cross another off the list of “things I never thought I would have to survive.” And just another day on the roads of Tampa. I was there with my family last weekend, running the Gasparilla 15K and visiting my dad and aunt. Tampa used to be home — the city where I grew up. Going back always made me nostalgic. Driving down bayshore. Passing my old high school. The soccer fields where I used to collect sandspurs in my rear end. The train tracks I walked with my brother. How the 150 percent humidity can drown you while standing up. There’s plenty of time to think about it as you drive. And drive. And drive. Or should I say, sit. And sit. And sit. Roads are crowded parking lots. Cars … Continue reading Traffic hell and the joys of small town living