Making changes in the latter stages of life isn’t easy, particularly when it comes to the way you park.

Parking had become routine for me over the years. I’d see a parking space and drive right in. This method worked for decades but only much later did I realize my method of parking wasn’t cool. In fact, it was for sissies.

The difference became apparent over the months while waiting for the bus across the street from Freeland Cafe. At 6 a.m. it’s not the busiest restaurant in the world and parking spaces are free and easy. But this isn’t what the guys driving huge pickup trucks, such as the Ford F-350, are seeking. They’re looking for a challenge, which requires backing into a parking space, preferably between two vehicles already parked. If 20 other empty spaces are nearby, the drivers of monster pickups will ignore them all and back into the space between the Mercedes and Lexus. It’s important to do this in one smooth maneuver: Eyeball the space, pull the correct distance ahead, shift into reverse, turn steering wheel, stomp on gas pedal, and whip into the space. Any stalling, re-steering, or second tries would be humiliating, as people are watching from the restaurant window. People are also watching from across the street as they wait for the bus, but guys driving Ford F-350’s don’t recognize bus riders as people. We’re more like another species not worthy of trying to impress, no more important than crows observing from the power line.

Over time I became enamored with these smooth parking maneuvers and started driving my pickup more often so I could practice back-in parking. My little Chevy, age 21, would fit into the back of a Ford F-350, but the principle was the same. Actually, I thought I was a good driver and the change from head-in to back-in parking would be easy, but it wasn’t. I’ve been trying to perfect back-in parking for weeks but still don’t always get it right.

Monday morning, for example, while contemplating writing about the parking challenge, I arrogantly whipped backwards into a parking space in a vast, empty lot in Coupeville. Only after I got out of the truck and walked away did I notice the right rear wheel sitting on the parking stripe. This was the parking version of a strikeout. People would laugh, even though I had parked smoothly and confidently. I hurried into the building, head down, before anyone else arrived.

There’s more to backward parking than just successfully pulling off the maneuver. It’s not complete until you hop out of the truck, stuff the keys in your pocked and never look back. That means you’re certain the truck is perfectly parked, tires evenly spaced between the two lines, rear tires inches from the curb. It’s all about being smooth and confident.

Once you succeed at the back-in parking maneuver, the hard part is over. You know you won’t be hitting someone when you back out of the parking space, because you’ll be driving forward. In other words, a little risk at the beginning makes the exit a lot easier. There’s a lesson in that, but only if you stay between the lines.