After a night of vicious rainfall, all that’s left is a sea-amount of cars on the road as I swim my way home alone. “Let’s just waste time, chasing cars around our heads.”* And as if the cruel rainfall isn’t enough, I received tantamount cruelty from my driving instructor.
Before I braved the streets alone, I had my first driving lessons at my driving school, Smart Driver. I have received what Lucas Scott received from Coach Whitey Durham on his first Ravens game: a ton of tongue-lashing. My D.I. was furious at just about anything. As a result, my first day at the driving school was pretty messy. And As I carefully walked home alone along the slippery road and reflected, I realized at the same time it was also my first day as a college freshman. My first day in school was really a new experience for me but I felt really lethargic as was looking back at the day I just had. Nostalgia then hits me as I recount my first days and my first rides.
PRE-SCHOOL WAS the moment I was introduced to a monster that swallowed me in and spit me out for a particular time frame everyday. I remember my first day in pre-school wherein it was a struggle for my parents to get me to school. They couldn’t blame me because it was the first time I would be in an uncharted place without them. But of course, things turned out pretty well and my pre-school days are memories I treasure up to now. It was also about the same time I rode my first bike. I developed bruises along the way but later on, I was with the boys around the village we became the suburban biker wannabes in Wild Hogs. We would usually go as fast as we could, hit the breaks, strike a pose and on-lookers wouldn’t even know what hit them.
GRADE SCHOOL WAS my first experience at a really big school. My first day was indeed different from pre-school as I was wailing no more and my parents found it easier to dispose me. After the last first day kiss I had from my mom, looked around the dropping off area and realized that kids my age were going through the same thing in a different fashion. Some, after three years in pre-school were still crying, some bid their ‘rents good bye and walked on confidently, some had no parents with them, some didn’t want to go to school and some almost weren’t able to go to school because of their parents’ snake arms wrapped around them. G.S. was also about the same time I had my first school bus ride. At first I was afraid of the upperclassmen who threw their weight around the bus. Surprisingly, I never had any traumatic experience as a bus rider. In fact, I’ve made some good friends and I’m still in contact with my busmates up to now.
HIGH SCHOOL WAS the best ride of my life so far. Of course, my parents weren’t there anymore to bid me farewell on my first day. High School had all the factions new kids would be afraid of-geeks, jocks rebels etc. And on the first day, I’ve meet some familiar faces, new ones and ones that I couldn’t remember on the first day. But, after four years of High School, I wasn’t able to see all the faces I saw on the first day anymore. Because All I saw was one-a sea of happy faces. High School was also about the same time I learned how to commute. Scared was an understatement when I had my first jeepney ride. I was constantly on the look for the Hollow man that would stab me in the back or snatch my mobile phone. Hollow man remained unseen up to now just I am still commuting going to and coming home from school.
COLLEGE … the time I had a fun, interesting yet tiring first day a freshman and also the time I had a sucky first driving lessons session.
LIFE … (hints experience of first day at work and experience of having a car)
A mentor once told me, the things that we fear are False Evidences Appearing to be Real. Do not be fearless, be afraid on your first. Because surely, that is the last time that you will be afraid, until you make your first again- first days and first rides.
“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swaps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists. It is real. It is possible. It is yours. “**
*Snow Patrol-Chasing cars
**One tree hill Chad Michael Murray’s Voice over of Ayn Rand’s quote
