Getting Your Wings Ain't Always Pretty

I know that for many of you, driving a car is second nature. I would even bet that you get annoyed at bad drivers. Well, I have a confession: Although I hardly passed my road-test over thirteen years ago, I've only really needed my license for identification purposes. The truth is, I haven't done much driving at all since...um...ever.

But, after moving to a place where you really can't get around without a car, I decided to go for it. I am the proud owner of a new, now scratched-up 2008 vehicle.

How someone can get lost with a GPS every other time she turns it on is beyond me. But, yup, that's me. And the sad thing is I even read the manual! Last Sunday, I drove all the way home from the bookstore with the back windshield wiper on. I didn't know how to turn the darn thing off! Yes, I did go home to read my driver's manual. I now know how to turn it off. Progress has been made. Hip Hip Hurray.

Well, not so fast.

Yesterday, I literally got stuck on my way up a ramp. The sound of metal scratching against a pole: not so nice. Oh, and today, I miscalculated the distance from my car to the pole at the gas station. Another scratch.

So much for a shiny new vehicle. It really is a good thing that I'm not that into material possessions.

Am I upset? Not about the car I'm not. I confess, I am utterly frustrated at the learning curve I seem to have to go through. "You'll get your wings, Barbie, once you get your car." Yes, it is quite true. I am now able to go wherever I want--the bookstore, the supermarket, the doctor's office--the normal places people go and that would take me over an hour to get to before.

I really do like the freedom that having my new car has given me. But, let me tell you, I don't feel like I can fly. I feel more like a bird that keeps flapping her wings. Everyone tells me I'll get better, usually as they hold on to dear life as I make a turn. I just smile and say, "You really think so?" I'm giggling as I write this; they're probably thinking, "Well, girl, you can't get any worse than this!" But they reassure me, and I drive on. I eventually, in most cases, reach my destination.

Anyway, what's my point? My point is that my learning or rather, my struggling to learn how to drive, is a good metaphor for life. For those of you who may feel frustrated with all there is to learn and do on this fitness/health/life journey, you just gotta push on through. Eventually, eventually, you will learn how to fly.

Bring it!

Barbie, PhD