Welcome to Day 47 of the Wellbeing 9-a-Day blog! Over the past couple of days, I have taken the opportunity to look back on some things that I have learned while using The Wellbeing 9-a-Day Journal. In today’s blog, I write the sequel to my story of learning to drive – Me, Myself, Hyundai 2.
Returning with the Reward
Three weeks ago, I told the story of how I overcame the challenges of learning to drive and managed to pass my driving test at the third attempt.
It would have been easy to think that the Hero’s Journey of learning to drive ended when I got my license, but the truth was that it was only the beginning of my learning journey.
After passing my test, I got added to my mam’s insurance and began to adjust to life on the roads without an instructor beside me. Each day, I felt like I was learning new lessons of how to drive the car, whether operating the controls, understanding traffic flow, or navigating the roads.
Before long, I bought my own car – a Hyundai i20 that I affectionately called Gandalf the WUT, mainly because of his colour and reg number. Right from the moment I bought the car, it was clear how little I knew about car ownership.
I had to get the dealer to start the car because I had never started a car during my lessons. My girlfriend and I then had a torrid drive back home as I struggled with the new car and the roads that were unknown to me.
Still as nervous behind the wheel as when I had been when learning, if not more so, I was now a car owner, free to drive wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted.
The first big trip we planned was a relaxing week in the Lake District…
A Crash Course in Driving
Still rocking my green P sticker, I was not ready for the roads or hills that awaited me. The first couple of days went well… until my sat nav sent me down a road that I later found out was called ‘The Struggle’.
The problems started when I had to stop behind a car on a steep incline. Unable to do my hill start, I put my hazard lights on, let the queue of cars behind me pass, and then rolled down the hill to find a spot where I could get going again.
The rest of the drive was a nerve-wracking journey where I lost half a stone in anxious sweat…
The following day, my problems came when coming downhill from Blea Tarn, after taking some admittedly lovely photos. Remembering my torrid time on ‘THE STRUGGLE’, I moved too far to the left to allow another car to move up the hill, and I came off the road, and crashed into the side.
Thankfully, help came quickly, a Land Rover towed us out, and I was able to drive for the rest of the trip, even if I did lose another stone of sweat in the process.
My trip was a baptism of fire. While I could have done without the accident and subsequent car troubles it caused, driving in the Lake District helped put my daily trips into perspective.
How hard was a trip to the shop when I had, just about, survived The Struggle to Mordor?
Call to Action!
Think back to any struggles that you have had when learning. The most challenging moments often reveal the most important lessons to learn. Just as I had to overcome my anxiety when driving, so you must push through the struggles in your learning journey to claim the reward on the other side.
This blog was written as part of a 90-day blog writing fundraiser for Live Well with Cancer, a volunteer-led charity serving North Tyneside and the surrounding areas. If you enjoyed this blog, please show your appreciation by donating to my JustGiving page. Every penny raised from donations or sales of the journal will help deliver workshops, events and support groups that empower better health and wellbeing for those affected by cancer, including family, friends, carers, and healthcare workers.
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