Driving!!

Every time someone says that 7 lettered word, it sends chills down my spine. Yes, I have a phobia of driving cars. Each time I pictured myself sitting on the drivers seat, holding that steering wheel, a sense of fear would engulf me. The seed of this fear was sown in me when I was 7 years old. While I was trying to cross the road, a rider on a bike, obviously oblivious to the fact that the signal was showing red, which in many parts of the world, means stop, rammed into my right leg. Ever since then, I've feared crossing roads, riding bikes and cars. Its been long since that incident, and I've gotten over most of my fears. I do not fear crossing roads any longer, though I must admit that I do occasionally hesitate, when I find myself in the middle of the road, and surrounded my cars and trucks with their monstrous horns! That is the thing about India. If you hesitate for a moment while crossing a rod, you either get killed of abused. And if your really unlucky, you wont understand what they are saying.

I found it hard to believe that, even though that fateful accident took place ages ago, my phobia of driving never went. I cannot see myself not driving, because it has become a necessity now. One cannot always rely on buses and autos, and it is very important for one to have an independent means of transport, be it a car or a bike. So keeping that in mind, I decided to learn driving.

I enrolled myself in classes. The first day, when I had to drive, was a NIGHTMARE!!!! Oh god, how I sweated, and shook. The only thing that gave me the confidence and the strength to carry on was that my mother was behind me, sitting in the back seat. It was a harrowing experience, on that I will never forget. Its still a mystery, how I came out of the car in one piece!

I never thought i'd never learn driving. I always felt it was something beyond my reach. But here I am, done with 5 classes, and still going strong. I don't shiver anymore, when I sit on the driver's seat and reach out for the steering wheel. I realized that, if I have to learn anything, I must first remove the fear of not learning. Then only, will the learning process take place.