"Drive home safely."

How common-curtesy can go awry in the mind:

Tonight as I left work and said good-bye to my boss he said the usual curteous thing: "Have a good evening" and then "Drive home safely." I took it as kindness, said, "I will." and left to head home. It was later on as I was driving that I remember I time when I was particularly sensitive to that comment. When I first started driving and people would tell me to drive safely, I can remember feeling particularly defensive about it. They weren't just saying "Drive home safely". ..oh no... They must been implying that I was a new and inexperienced driver and needed that extra reminder to be extra safe.... I resented that at the time... figuratively rolling my eyes at the comment, though accepting it knowing that it was said out of concern.

It's funny to think back on now... Sure, some of them might have had that young-driver profile in mind as they told me to drive safely, but really most of the time it is probably just as automatic for some of them as telling me to have a good day as we parted ways. Tonight it didn't even phase me in that manner since I have been driving for a while now and am pretty confident in my ability to get myself home safely; I've got a good track-record with that :) Just interesting to think how as common a statement as "Drive home safely" can be so loaded with implications to the person that receives it depending on their point-of-view, whether the hidden-meaning was really there or not.