For God has not given us a spirit of fear…2 Timothy 1:7
As a young woman, one of my dreams was to learn to drive and eventually purchase my own car. I kept the dream at the back of my mind for many years, but finally, in the late 1990’s I decided to take the plunge.
Armed with my learner driver “lunatic” licence and the knowledge gained from reading the driving manual, I found myself a driving instructor and embarked on the journey of learning to drive. I was ready to put the theory into practice. My first driving lesson was a lunchtime lesson. At the time I was working at Jamaica Information Service (JIS) on Half-Way-Tree Road. My first mistake was to assume that, as is the custom with most driving instructors, we would head to the National Stadium or some other quiet area to go over the basics for the first lesson. Was I wrong! I was in for a surprise!
We proceeded down Half-Way-Tree Road and turned onto Oxford Road in the heavy lunchtime traffic. The instructor, Mr, Green, then pulled over to the side of the road, just outside the National Housing Trust, hopped out and instructed, “Get behind the wheel!” Surely this man was crazy. “Aren’t we going to the Stadium?” I asked, to which he simply responded, “No.” So much for a quiet start. I was in for a baptism of fire! So, I timidly got behind the wheel, followed his instructions, and soon we were off to a slow painstaking start. To this day, the details of that first lesson escape me. All I can remember is that we drove (or crawled) through New Kingston, down on to Chelsea Avenue and back to the office. When I got back to my desk, I was shaking like a leaf!!!
Needless to say, I had a short stint with that instructor as his modus operandi was a bit too unorthodox for me. In fact, I took a short break from learning to drive all together.
In 1998, I decided to venture out again. By this time, I was living in Portmore and the instructor also lived in Portmore, so I decided to do my lessons on Saturday mornings. At first everything seemed so strange and there was so much to remember. I seriously doubted if I could learn this stuff. Those were the days before automatic licences, so I had to use a standard shift vehicle. There were many times when I felt like giving up, but I persevered, along with much prayer and encouragement from friends and family. I had to overcome the fear that I felt. Eventually I started to get the hang of it and was driving comfortably. My confidence began to grow and eventually my instructor felt that it was time for me to take the driving exam.
My first attempt at the driving exam ended in failure. I passed the written test, the hill start and parking, but failed the reverse aspect, which was not unexpected as it was my weak area. Even though I failed, my instructor was still pleased as he had not expected me to pass the hill start. I got some more practice at reversing and decided to attempt the exam a second time. On the morning of the exam, I went for an early morning lesson and encountered a huge obstacle. My learned instructor, in his “wisdom,” thought it was the perfect time to teach me something new, a procedure called “back up.” I was livid! How could he be teaching me something new at this stage? This was something which I should have learnt even before I attempted the exam the first time. I was totally distraught and felt like I would not bother, but my brother in law convinced me to at least try, since I had already paid for the exam. I showed up and because of my state of mind, this time I made the same mistake of hitting the stones in the lane during reverse.
I was angry and upset because I felt that I had been cheated. I decided that I would not give this man another chance to rob me. When I got home, he inquired when I would resume lessons and I told him that I would give him a call. I never did. I decided to find a new instructor. This time I did not take a break. I was on a roll and wanted to get the licence before the end of the year. I quickly found a new instructor and he helped me to overcome the issues I had with reversing. So on my third attempt, I passed the reverse and was taken on the road test, which I failed. Undaunted, I continued to practise and on November 18, 1998, I took the road test and passed. After four attempts, I was now officially a driver….and I would not stop at all…… I was now the holder of a driver’s licence, a dream which I realized with the help of the Almighty.
I was now more than ever convinced of the value of perseverance as well as more appreciative of the proverb “Good things come to those who wait,” (Lamentations 3:25 NKJV The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him). I stuck to my principles and tried until I succeeded on my own merit.