Jump-start

I started working when I was 13 (before it was legal) in my school's greenhouse. I was getting paid in cash and saving up so I could afford gas when I got my car for my 14th birthday.

My cherry red 1987 Honda Prelude was a $2,000 sale from an older cousin. In order to retrieve it, I'd need to learn how to drive all 5 manual speeds of it in the steep mountains and deep valleys of Spokane, WA.

learning from mistakes

One time, early in this process, I was stopped at a red light on a hill that should have existed in San Fran, not Spokane.

As I rolled to a stop, my knuckles gripped the wheel, my throat went dry, and sweat dripped from my brow. A truck pulled up within inches of my back bumper, and I hoped neither of us would regret that.

When the light turned green, my stepmom screamed at me, "Give it gaaaaas!" I obeyed diligently and the motor screamed as I rolled backwards. The screaming continued, I tried again and again. The motor wailed, thumped, and died as I killed it for the first time.

This went on until the light turned red again and my bumper rested on the truck behind me. A group of teens pulled up in the car next to me and laughed.

I gathered my thoughts, tuned everything out, and thought through the steps. Clutch, gas, slowly lift clu....ooooh, I had given it plenty of gas, but in my panic, forgot the all-important step of putting it in gear.

Learning to drive a stick-shift, as with learning anything new, takes patience, forgiveness, and perseverance. I'm glad I learned this lesson young as I've applied it countless times throughout my journey.