During one of my first driving lessons, I confused the accelerator and the brake and very nearly crashed into another car. I spent the rest of the afternoon swearing that I’d never drive a car again, glowering at the people outside who seemed to do it so effortlessly. Why was driving proving impossible for me?
The worst part is that I’d been so excited about learning to drive. The public transport in the small town I live in is virtually non-existent (save for one bus!) so I couldn’t wait to finally head out without relying on my parents. I passed my written test with only two mistakes, stood in the longest line I’ve ever seen at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and eagerly counted down the days until my first lesson.
However, the reality of driving was very different to my expectations, and that near-miss was another nail in the coffin. Every single time I drove I was filled with fear. Exams are hard, but what’s the worst thing that could happen – fail the exam and laugh about it a year later? Worst-case scenario when driving a car? You wreck the car, seriously injuring yourself and your passengers and maybe even other people on the road!
If I had learnt by myself, I doubt I would have climbed into that metal death trap again. But, with the support of my friends and family (and after a great deal of self-encouragement), I chose to keep going. I started slowly. I drove around my local shopping centre’s parking lot first, then progressed to driving longer distances on highways, and then onto the dreaded motorway. None of that was plain sailing either. A line from one of my favourite songs goes: ‘the road is long, but only ‘cause it makes you strong, it’s filled with peaks and twists and turns’. Aside from the language being rather fitting for learning to drive, the lyrics can be applied to any difficult situation. Sometimes we struggle to accomplish things. It’s normal to make mistakes. But when you persevere and vanquish your demons, you become a stronger person.
As for me, I passed my road test a few weeks ago, something I was convinced would never happen. Despite sounding like an absolute weirdo saying all my manoeuvres out loud to help myself remember them, I managed to pass with no mistakes, even mastering my nemesis – parallel parking. Now, as I face new challenges, like making new friends at university and trying to comprehend the baffling readings for my course, I remind myself of the time I faced and conquered one of my biggest fears. Now any obstacles standing in my way seem much smaller.