Sir, did you know...

Can you believe that February is nearly over? The days seem to fly by and the flirtation with Spring that we have experienced recently only make us more anxious for its actual arrival.

February is the month that my wife and I were born, four days apart. It's funny how birthdays are, like many things in life, more exciting and fun when you are a child. This would be an ideal time to interject that while it may be true that you are as young as you feel, odds are the older you get, the less you will enjoy your birthday.

It turns out that this is the year to get my drivers license renewed. Your drivers license is one of those things that many people -- including myself -- take for granted and rarely glance at, mainly because the photo is awful.

If you have a heavy foot and are popular with the police, they more than likely are more aware of the expiration date of your license than yourself.

Yes, you figured it out. My drivers license expired earlier this month. By the time you read this, I hope to have it renewed. It's not a terribly big deal, the State of Iowa even gives you 30 days before your birthday and 60 days after to get it renewed before you have to begin the process all over again, test and all.

Well, it's not so much of a big deal as long as no one notices.

Twice a year, in February and July, I travel to company meetings. In February, along with my counterparts in Spencer and McCook, Neb., I take a flight from Omaha to St. Louis, then rent a car and make the over two-hour drive to Cape Girardeau.

This year was my turn to rent the car. Made the reservations, all was set. I had realized that my license had expired, but figured since I had 60 days to get it renewed, there would be no problem.

Checking in for the flight, the ticket agent pointed out that my license had expired. I thanked him and proceeded to the security screening area. This is another place where you need to present your drivers license. As I waited in line, I began to get nervous. A ticket agent politely pointing out you expired drivers license is one thing, but what would the uniformed Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers have to say?

There's something intimidating about proving who you are to a uniformed person, then taking your shoes and coat off, emptying your pockets and passing through a metal detector while your possessions are being x-rayed. This is a time to follow instructions, do as you are told and keep moving.

Then there's the matter of those blue latex gloves they all wear and the private area that I imagine exists where the suspicious folks are taken for a more "thorough" examination.

So, would an expired drivers license trigger a visit to the "special" room? As I waited in line, these thoughts raced through my mind. I acted as normal as I could, smiled and spoke when I was spoken to by the officer.

No visit to the "special" room for me, thanks anyway.

After arriving at the car rental lot, I learned another valuable lesson: you can't rent a car with an expired drivers license. Fortunately, both of my travelling companions had current drivers licenses and we were soon on our way.

There's nothing quite like an embarrassing story to break the ice in a conversation. My cautionary tale of keeping abreast of the expiration date of your drivers license entertained many and caused most to take out their license and check their own expiration dates.

So, when does your license expire? If it's within the next 30 days, take the advice of a procrastinator: renew it now.

You'll thank me later.

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.