I had a phobia of driving. I had been in a wreck as a child that left a massive bump on my forehead and rendered me afraid of other cars on the streets. It was easier to take the bus, as Uber and Lyft were not available in those days. Then, when the children became teenagers, I needed to learn to drive. I called a driving school, and the driving instructor was unsympathetic about my fear of driving. After three days of driving lessons, he decided I was ready to drive on the interstate in Atlanta. No amount of talking would sway him.
So, he had me get on Interstate 285 at night, and he didn’t give me good directions on how to enter the interstate. As a result, I barreled on in front of an 18-wheeler, and the driver of the semi became angry that I had cut him off. He turned on his bright lights and blew his air horn, which completely unnerved me to the point that I hyperventilated and fainted while driving 65 miles per hour. When I came to, he told me that I was meant to be a passenger, never a driver.
For 20 years, I did not try to drive, convinced that my fears were too great. My ex-husband or my children drove me everywhere, even to work. However, after my daughter informed me that I needed to learn to drive to take the burden off others, and my ex-husband wouldn’t let me travel outside the United States because he disliked touring, I realized that I had to overcome my fear of other cars and drive. I needed to be free to go where I wanted and stay as long as I wanted, rather than being on other people’s timetables.
So, I called another driving school, and the instructor taught me to respect other drivers and be mindful of their unpredictability, helping me overcome my fears. I earned my driver’s license on my first try and bought myself a car —a red Kia Rio —as a 50th birthday present.
Driving was a personal goal that I thought I couldn’t achieve. My ex-husband told my daughter that when I learned to drive, he knew the marriage was over. I was free, no longer remaining in a bad marriage where I was bullied for decisions that differed from his. I had remained in the marriage because of my fears of driving and being alone. Driving cured both. I am still hesitant when I drive, but I also thank God for the courage to learn to drive and for trusting that He and His angels are always with me, driving with me and for me, if needed.
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Written for the Daily Prompt
Help from Heaven 
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