Open Letter to The Maine Toll Booth Lady Who Spiced-Up My Commute

Picture this, it's 4am, completely dark, you're driving on the turnpike. You realize you haven't ordered an EZ pass yet, so you have to search for loose change to stop and pay the toll.

I travel on the turnpike twice a day from Lewiston to Augusta. It's about a 30 minute drive and when I approach the toll this is what happened.

Dear Diane,

The day I met you, I was rushed, cranky, messy, and gassy. I was running late for work because I had just moved and I couldn't find the box my underwear was in and the only ones I could find were the pair that Benedict Cumberbatch chose to sleep on. That's my cat.

Once I got out of the door I felt anxious and not myself. I consider myself very prompt and responsible at least 10% of the time. So, I am sure you can imagine where I was at emotionally. We all have mornings like this. Where nothing is going right and we want to fast forward to the end of the day so we can sit in the mirror and look at ourselves crying. By the way, why do we do that?

As I was driving I was fumbling, trying to find loose change to pay your toll. I pulled up to the toll and the little booth door slides open. I felt your energy immediately, it was contagious, spicy and powerful. You said to me "Hi Darlin! How are you today?"

A smile came to my face and my day went from gross to not gross in two seconds. It's like you are a super hero and you laser beamed a shot of whiskey goodness straight into my body and I immediately got this buzz of good vibes.

You boosted me better than the Covid shot. I handed you the money and said thank you. Normally I don't thank someone for taking my money.

I lied and told you I was good and you said I was pretty. I stupid smiled that's how awesome you are. You were spicy, filled with contagious energy. The universe knew I needed a pick-me-up and you dragged me off the floor, slapped me silly, and put me back into gratitude mode.

It only takes a second to change someone's feelings and you chose to be a positive light in everyone's life.

Thank you Dollface Diane,

Lizzy Snyder

Diane Fredrickson, of Gardiner, has been a toll booth attendant for 35 years. This is not her first time being noticed for her outstanding energy either. She was featured in an article on News Center Maine and I was able to chat with her about her life and she told me,

I could’ve retired when I was 59 1/2 but I continue to stay on. You gotta spread the love.

She worked on the highway for 35 years total at the tolls in Falmouth, Scarborough, and Gardiner. At one point she was jumping from toll booths and traveling 122 miles a day.