A driving class , an instructor and Me !!!

 Going for a drive with music in the car ... absolute bliss . Trying to drive a car with or without music in the car ... absolute terror .

 Well that was my condition a month back . Thinking  of driving would make me freeze . The road seemed liked a roller coaster and the vehicles like assassins with only one target Me !! 

Well some people have that uncanny ability to convince you that even a rabbit has horns . One such friend with a gift of patience , sense and sanity finally convinced me that Driving would give me wings . Suddenly the spirit of freedom and independence took over and i decided to climb the Everest ... or learn to drive a car .

 Finally the day arrived and after a collective dramatic prayer session by family and friends for the overall protection of humanity and the road and the instructor and the car I went and joined driving class .

Day 1 : Get into car . Remove slippers . Freeze . Go into coma .The instructor waited for me to awake from coma and finally decided he has to manually awaken the terrified soul . No automatic transmission here . At this point am sure prayers were offered here too . Ignition on , clutch released and the car decided to take part in a frog jumping competition . A jump and a stop . And again freeze . 

But fate has gifted me with an instructor with ice cubes on his head ... calm and collected . And so the drive progresses as slow as a snail and the instructor keeps reminding that a car can actually move faster . Also he reminds that steering wheels are perishable objects and should not be tortured when terror strikes the mind . Finally the class ends and i get out . Relief sweeps through the mind and breathing gets normal ... for the instructor . Such feelings are not prevalent for people in a frozen state so am as cool as a cucumber . 

Day 2 : Today there is no frog jump but the mind very happily accepts the fact that the instructor has a set of brakes and clutch safely with him and so he will do half the work . Slowly the plan is understood and i am reminded that in future i will not have an assistant to drive . 

I have a serious doubt that he uses the seat belt only when I drive :) 

Day 3 : Instructor reminds me that i am an Indian citizen driving on Indian roads and that roads and bumps are inseparable twins. This instruction is given after i give a clear census of all the potholes on my route to him .   

Gradually as days progress frog jumps turn to smooth starts . Potholes are not discovered . Instructor stops being an assistant and I finally drive . 

Only because of the assurance that he is sitting by my side ..... that's my secret don't tell it out :))

Whether I know to drive or not is secondary but my car must be Red in colour . Maybe i will have a funky sticker on it and hang a Purple dragon on the mirror . Trips have been planned with friends , really long trips .   Whether the car will be decorated and become a show piece is yet to be seen !!!!

But yes the happiness I feel now is beyond compare . And yes driving will soon give me wings and bring me freedom of movement .Soon goodbye you auto drivers who frown and make faces and bicker for auto fares and rob me of hard earned earnings . 

Thanks to sensible people in my life who made me see sense and gave me courage to face my fears . Thanks to people who taught me that conquering even the smallest fears can actually alter your daily life for the better . Thanks to people who talk so patiently that they convince you to do things that will benefit you . Thank you God for helping me overcome 

One more Fear in life ... Signing off : A ________ driver of the future . 

The blank will be filled by fate ! :)