Today as I was heading out to run some errands, I stopped at a four way stop to take a left. To my right, a student driver tentatively crossed the street. This meant once I made the turn that they were directly ahead of me, and I winced in anticipation. It was going to be a bumpy ride.
Sure enough, the next mile was filled with staying back an extra 50 feet and travelling a good 10 miles under the speed limit as I watched the student driver navigate their way down a hill. There were moments of odd accelerations. There were moments of tapping (or slamming) on the breaks. There were moments of swerving in and out of the lane. They were all over the place.
Now normally this just makes me impatient. But today I was feeling philosophical. It took me back to the age of 18 (I was late to the driving party) and that first foray into driving. I remember it like it was yesterday.
My mom and I piled into our blue Honda Civic, and I almost had a panic attack as I took the wheel. I backed up out of the driveway, way too far, cranked the wheel to straighten out the car, and then headed forward. This didn’t seem so bad, and I was moving, albeit at 6 mph. I speed up a bit and headed toward the end of our street, where the road took a left-hand turn. I cranked the wheel to turn but apparently waited too long. The turn was wide and I jumped the curb and ended up three feet into my neighbor’s yard.
I was horrified and had only made it 1000 feet. I don’t think my mom had ever laughed harder in her life. Once she composed herself, she said, “OK, I’ll take over. And we’ll go to a parking lot.” And that’s how my driving life began.
So now, as I sat patiently waiting for the beginning driver ahead of me to figure out how to gracefully change lanes, I was wondering what the universe was trying to tell me. And that’s when it hit me, “I’m learning to drive.”
It’s one thing to set an intention. It’s another thing to actually do it. You can chant, affirm, pray and visualize a goal until the cows come home, but until you actually take the keys and get in the car, you’re not really going anywhere. Manifesting a new path takes work, and those beginning steps are just that, a beginning. You probably don’t want to accelerate to full speed until you’ve learned how to steer the wheel. And in order to learn to steer you need to relax and take it easy. If you don’t you’ll jerk the wheel and risk causing an accident from your sudden movements.
So, knowing that I’m learning to drive, by taking these first baby steps into the world of living a more purposeful life, I’m trying to give myself some patience and grace. Undoubtedly, I’m going to hit the brakes too hard, and cause some impatience for the other drivers. Not to mention the fear and anxiety that getting behind the wheel the first dozen or so times causes me. But the only way to get over it is in the doing. And in the doing there will be mistakes, that’s how we learn. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. And as always, stay bouncy!
With Jupiter entering Gemini you may find yourself expanding in the area of life (or house) where Gemini falls in your chart. This new expansion might feel a little bit like learning to drive. So how are you learning to drive? And what are you finding challenging or easy about the process? Comment below.
