Learning comes with a new surge. There's a way it makes you feel extraordinary, even when you're engaged in a seemingly mundane task. It’s not always a big deal, but it feels like one.
I’ve always loved learning. I'm fascinated by the idea that the only difference between ignorance and mastery is knowledge. It’s even more thrilling when I encounter new knowledge, use it effectively, and achieve mastery.
For some reason, my dad took his time before he taught me how to drive. Except, he didn’t actually teach me.
In his words, if I learned how to drive, I might enjoy it too much, use his car to drive around with loud music, possibly carrying girls, and lose focus on life. Well, he had a point, right?
I am generally patient, able to delay my desires for a long time, though not perfectly.
During the unprecedented pandemic that made 2020 a remarkable year for many, aside from the uniqueness of its number, I finally learned how to drive after waiting for years.
My mom, who isn’t as open-minded as my dad, chose to teach me herself, making the learning process even more unique.
It didn’t take long before I was behind the wheel, though it was tricky. I learned with a manual transmission.
The routine was that I’d accompany my mom to her office, wait a bit until she had the time to teach me, or if she didn’t, a colleague of hers who was kind enough would help me out.
To further encourage me, I often drove my mom home.
Every time I tried, it was a rather amusing incident.
I remember once getting scared and being stuck in the middle of the road. I kept trying to start the car but couldn’t get it to move.
My mom kept apologizing to the passing cars, explaining that I was just a learner and we were sorry.
It was incredibly embarrassing.
One thing my mom never tires of telling me when I’m driving is to use my brakes. Whenever I’m not driving properly, she repeatedly reminds me to press the brake.
If I’m speeding too much, she yells at me to use the brake.
She firmly believes that if I use my brake frequently or whenever I’m about to have an accident, or when I’m veering off course, stepping on the brake pedal will save me, at least temporarily.
This has become not only a driving lesson but also a life lesson.
As a life learner, experiencing life for the first time like everyone else, sometimes things go smoothly, and you feel almost invincible. In such situations, when everything seems to be going well, you just keep moving forward.
I’ve been moving,
like Omah Lay’s latest single.
In moments like these, it’s crucial to take a life break. This can also be seen as refocusing. Continuously moving from one thing to another, from one success to the next, can cause us to miss the finer details of life or overlook what’s truly around us because we’re too focused on our goals.
Taking a break from things creates awareness within us, allowing us to understand things better and gain insight into the small details we may have missed.
It also gives us a chance to reflect on life. We can look back and see how far we’ve come and also track what we’re doing right or wrong.
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