the next frontier

Eldest is learning how to drive. The first time we went out she described as being both boring and terrifying at the same time. One may wonder how terror can be blasé... But I could understand her description. I didn't dare commence on a road so we started in the customary place -- an empty parking lot. I had her turn the ignition which was over-revved and then we coasted off. The lot is on a bit of an incline so she just let the car propel itself and never once hit the accelerator for that first hour. Yes, an hour in the same parking lot is actually very boring, but when the person driving is turning the steering wheel too tightly and then letting it roll back in her hands as we swerve back and forth while simultaneously slamming the brakes at inconsistent intervals one begins to realize just how heavy, how large, and how deadly a vehicle can be. Alternately, one also can now vividly imagine how much damage an innocent curb, sidewalk, tree, or more especially, a building could do to one's beloved mode of transportation. I had never given much thought to how stressful this learning to drive thing would be and think that I may need to start a support group.  Actually, we survived that episode and she is improving faster than I could have hoped during the initial test drive. 

Like many things, this experience can be related as an allegory to life. There are many days in which the things that one is doing seem tedious and even mind-numbing and yet if there is too much messing up the results could be scary indeed.