Leap Into Life
Most people learn to drive from a parent or an instructor. They take a drivers ed course and after some degree of hands on experience, earn their driver's license ("yay, freedom"). And while of course, I'll take some version on the path listed above. My initiation to driving was given to me by my grandparents. Legally- for the most part. It started in Burlington, Vermont with my grandfather Tom, who agreed to take me for a drive. SCORE! So there we were: me in the drivers seat, him in the passenger seat. Tom started by explaining the gear shift, then something about how the engine worked and also the ignition. I was in over my head just a little, so Tom let me jump right in. We drove down their neighborhood/ complex's parking lot, went around the mini cul-de-sac, and turned around in someone's driveway. Needless to say, my first introduction to driving went extremely well! Okay, other than the fact that Tom wouldn't let me use both feet to hit stuff. But that's probably a good thing because before Tom noticed, I accidentally hit the gas and brake at the same time....Oops. But it wasn't over. My next driving experience was with my grandfather, Opa, in East Thetford, Vermont. Now, I love Opa dearly, but just as we discovered quite recently that we clash on stage, we also occasionally clash in the car. Or maybe it's just hard to be a self- taught driving instructor. Here's just one example of our driving dialogue.... Opa: BRAKE! Me: (hits acceleration) Opa: That's the acceleration. Me: Sorry (slams on brake). Opa: (sigh) Me: (looks around) Huh, I'm having deja vu. I feel like I've been in this same place before. Opa: You have... three times. Me: (buries face in hands and dies of laughter) Oh wait.... did I mention that Opa's teaching me to drive in a 30 year old wagoneer? There's a third seat in the front seat (handy for emergency brake slams which Opa hasn't had to do yet) and the gear shift isn't labelled so you have to feel around with the handle to know whether you're in reverse or forward! I'm so thankful for my grandparents who were brave enough to teach me how to drive! Driving is certainly an adventure, and it's definitely good that they give us lots of training. Kind of like life. .....ENTERING METAPHOR ZONE..... During the teenage years, we're being trained for more than just driving: we're being trained for adulthood, for life. We learn from tough situations, conflict, and new experiences. There's no set curriculum (unlike with driver's ed) and we learn what we need to know to be successful- or at least pick ourselves up from failure and try again. I'm on the road to independence- soon I'll be driving my own car! What road are you on? And as always: please subscribe! The average teen blogger's blog lasts about 18 months- I'm at 15. Help me defy my (guessed) odds and keep blogging by subscribing and spreading the word! Click Here to Subscribe!
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