I held off until the very last minute.

Although I should have acted more promptly, COVID got in the way. Having lived in Spokane for more than four years now (this second time around), I should have secured a Washington driver’s license within months of moving to the state. But the pandemic had other ideas as it made it nearly impossible to do business with the Department of Licensing, especially for remedial tasks like re-issuing a driver’s license to a prodigal son. Believe me, I tried.

So I held onto my South Carolina license right before it expires next month on my birthday. Nothing like receiving a license that is good for 10 years, right? I was issued my Palmetto State ID in 2014 and used it for 119 of the 120 months that it was good for.

I probably would have used it for all 120 months but I figured that might be cutting it a little too close. If obtaining my license was anything like it was in 2020, I should expect delays and thus give myself plenty of time to secure it. So at the end of August, I made plans to visit the DOL and get it done.

Memories of complete horror shows flooded my brain from previous experiences at DOLs/DMVs in multiple states. Whether it was the state I live in now, Montana, or South Carolina, I couldn’t erase from my mind the long lines, countless people, and wasted hours that characterized my visits.

I thought it would be a repeat this most recent time but thankfully I was pleasantly surprised. The first indication that perhaps my whole day wouldn’t be shot was the opportunity to schedule an appointment. That’s right, a couple days before I visited the DOL I was able to snag an appointment time online. And guess what? When I checked in on Saturday morning my appointment was honored and I saw a DOL representative right at my scheduled time.

But even crazier was that it looked like an appointment wasn’t even necessary for showing up at 10 a.m. on the weekend. The center wasn’t crowded and a full team of DOL employees were at their stations helping customers.

My transaction took five minutes. Because I had scheduled an appointment by noting the service I needed, the DOL rep knew I was there to obtain a Washington state enhanced (real ID) driver’s license. I handed her all my paperwork, she processed it, and she asked me a couple questions about my height/weight and whether I wanted to be an organ donor. She then had me look down to take the vision test. To be honest, I was slightly nervous considering my eyes were about 10 years older from the last time I took it but my anxiety was unfounded. It was easier than ever!

After I aced the test she took my photo. I provided a signature that would go on my license (I asked to re-do it a couple times) and then I paid more money than I wanted to. She then gave me a printed white sheet to serve as my temporary license and off I went to enjoy the still young day.

Yesterday I received my permanent driver’s license ID card in the mail. Watch out folks, I am once again an officially licensed driver of the state of Washington. Much love to my state for making the process much more tolerable. Don’t Blink.