Crossing That Bridge
Sometimes it is easier to tackle fear of the unknown by crossing that bridge when we get to it.
December 29, 2020
I have just started learning to drive. After each drive, my dad and I go over the details of the drive and also recount any firsts that I encountered, such as the first time I got on the highway or the first time driving in a rainstorm. Today I drove to Costco with my dad. It was the farthest and the fastest I have ever driven, with a total drive time of one hour, and a maximum speed of almost 60 miles per hour.
When my dad first told me that I would be driving to Costco, I was feeling anxious yet excited. I have only ever driven on inside roads, aside from the two short experiences I have on going on highways, so before today, I was not used to going at speeds past 35 miles an hour. The road we took to Costco was not technically a highway, but it essentially had the pace and structure of one – all the cars went extremely fast (to my standards), and the road was long and winding, with the occasional stop light or intersection.
The drive itself was not very eventful to me, though I did reach a few milestones. In addition to this trip being the fastest and farthest I have ever driven, I went over a bridge for the first time and I changed lanes in the middle of a curving road. Switching lanes was not a big deal for me because I didn’t find it to be all that challenging, contrary to what my dad said, but the bridge was a bigger task to handle.
I have had a fear of height for as long as I can remember, especially heights over water, so bridges are not my strong suit. For example, two years ago when my family and I were driving over the Golden Gate Bridge in California during summer vacation, I spent the entire duration of our time on the bridge hunched over in the back seat so I would not be able to see the water around me.
Given the extreme discomfort I feel being driven over a bridge, the initial idea of having to drive myself over a bridge that was sprung upon me by my dad about a minute before the road started to incline, was absolutely terrifying. However, since I was given such little notice, I did not have enough time to let the panic fully set in, so when I started to see the bridge in the distance. I just gripped the steering wheel tight and prepared for the worst.
Of course, nothing happened. All I had to was change lanes as we drove down the bridge and then turn right into the Costco parking lot, but I am glad that I did not let my fears and worries gain control over the car rather than my usual rational mindset. I guess life gets easier when one crosses one bridge at a time.