The expense of renewing it seemed unjustified, considering how unlikely it is that I will be physically able to travel. But letting my passport expire felt like a surrender.
Every now and then in the past 3 years - my passport expired on 8 November 2015 - I've mentally debated the decision. It came down to one question.
Not: "How likely is it that I will use a passport?"
But: "How much value does the option of getting on a plane carry?"
Once when I had a medical appointment in a city I rarely visit these days, an hour away, I stopped at the AAA office and had pictures taken. Just in case.
And one day when I came across my old passport while looking for something else, I put it in a place where I could find it when wanted. If wanted.
Well, on the subject of renewal:
My Massachusetts driver's license is going to expire in December. Hoping to avoid a trip to the Registry, I went online to renew it. It quickly became apparent that the licensing system in MA has changed, and is in the middle of a transition related to federal ID requirements. I read all the instructions two or three times, and after spending an hour on the website, I came to a startling conclusion:
The simplest way for me to renew my MA driver's license
would be to first renew my passport.
Crazy but true.
This morning, I renewed my driver's license online.
Because a few days ago, this came in the mail:
And I feel very good about it.
~~~~~
