Now the people at the agency that I am booking my accommodations with have told me that it would be in my best interest if I rented a car, considering the nearest town to where I am staying does not have taxi service and it is about a half hours walk as the crow flies to where I will call home for those six weeks.
This wouldn’t be a problem. I mean I’ve rented a car before, you make arrangements and you pick the car up at your destination and presto. in and on your way. Well it’s not that easy in Europe. First I need an international drivers license, then I have to give my first born, which at 21 and still living at home, they are more than welcomed. But the biggest problem is, that there are few automatic transmissions in the European fleet of rental cars and what one’s they do have pretty much cost an arm and a leg. The problem? I only know how to drive an automatic. So what am I going to do? I’ve already got my plane ticket bought and paid for and accommodations booked and paid.
Candice.
Candice is the daughter of my next door neighbours Al and Patricia. Candice drives a standard transmission. Candice has volunteered her knowledge and skills (two years worth) to teach this old dog a new trick. At 52, the word panic comes to mind. I mean shifting gears and focusing on the road and listening to Candice all at the same time… not a chance. At best, walking and keeping my head up is about as much multi-tasking skills I have these days, but learning to drive a car all over again??? Hey, I paid those dues already with my high school Drivers Ed teacher. He was an ex cop (I will not give names here), made young men cry and young girls beg to leave his vehicle while the car was still moving. He who pulled out a revolver on the last day of driving class and yell out while pointing it straight at us, “Driving is like playing Russian roulette!” Meanwhile 5 girls and 3 guys fainted and the rest of us were hiding under our desks. We were told after the fact, the gun was not loaded… although we were never really sure as the guy was a nut case by normal standards!
No, I’ve paid my dues when it comes to learning how to drive. I mean it took me two tries to even get my license. The first time I backed into a garbage can while parallel parking! “It wasn’t the garbage can that you lost all your points on, it was when you went through the red light!” I was nervous, I didn’t see the red light ok????
So now I’m going to try and learn how to drive a standard so that I can go to a foreign country, try to find a place in the middle of nowhere, while also trying to interpret road signs in a language I have been desperately trying to learn, and above all that… while shifting gears???? Yea, right! Am I crazy or what????
I have a bird house that my friend Evelyn made for me. My neighbour Al, put it up this spring as I am “Tim the Tool Man” challenged. This afternoon, I saw the tiniest bird perched on the roof of the house. She\he, was singing the prettiest song, it was smooth and crisp and delightful. I watched it for the longest time. It would go down in my garden and pick up pieces of grass longer than it and try to stuff the pieces into the house for its nest. Several times it could not even fly because the piece was too heavy or unbalanced for the bird but still it persevered. I found myself fascinated watching it, even cheering it on in hopes that it would accomplish its task.
That little bird got me thinking. If you are determined enough to get something done you will. If you have little interest, chances are you will not put the effort into getting a task done. But if it has meaning, or it is a means to an end or it gives you purpose somehow, then you focus on it, no amount of distraction will get in your way. You just bite the bullet and you do what has to be done.
I think we all know this. That little bird plans on having a family and will get that nest built no matter what. Makes my task at focusing on learning to drive a standard transmission effortless don’t you think?
Happy Canada Day all you Canadians out there!!!
2 comments:
Good luck on learning to drive a stick. You'll quickly get the hang of it and won't even have to think about shifting.
You'll never want to go back an automatic. The stick shift is power -- in your hands.
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