A Road of Courage

Everyone possesses a nature of innocence that ingenuously causes them to believe that s/he has the potential to be almighty, or that s/he can tackle any situation without fear. However, this sense of courage which is elaborately embroidered into our lives is plainly– bogus.

Since I was child I adored and idolized the adults around me. Their knowledge, their generosity, their ease–with situations I had trouble with– always proved to resolve my troubles. I once questioned my father: “Dad how did you become so smart? You always have the right answers”. And he responded: “Don’t worry Neha, you are still a little girl. One day you will become super smart, even smarter than me!” Then a giggled a bit. “I guess even daddy is wrong sometimes”, I thought to myself, “I don’t think I will ever become smarter than him”.

Although at that moment I thought that I would be “Daddy’s little girl” forever, soon enough I started to acknowledge that he was always right– I was becoming super smart, so I could do anything he could do.

I started having this new aura of courage for everything. “Oh my daddy can do it, so I can” I thought to myself. Fear to achieve what my dad can was no longer a concern of mine. That was until last month.

August 23^rd 2013 was a jovial day. I ran out of the rmv with a big grin on my face. “Yup I got it”, I gleefully exclaimed. Now that I had my permit I thought I was going to be thriving on the roads. For years I had watched adults and now it was my turn to drive, the feat I’d always been dreaming of, a feat that even my dad had once courageously achieved.

 I got into the driver’s seat thinking I would be intrepid. 

But that was when heart started to beat faster and my lungs felt like they were closing in. My hands were no longer relaxed, instead trembling like an elders’ with Parkinson’s disease. “I don’t think I can do this” I thought to myself “Maybe I’m not ready yet?”
               But then I recalled, "Dad can do it, so I can", I could not let fear get the best of me. And with that I took a deep breath and made my first step onto the accelerator.