You never know until you try.

This past weekend I reached a goal that I never thought I would see. I drove my Thunderbird to a meet out of town, which meant driving on the highway (which I haven’t done in well over 25 years), and getting back home again on another multi-lane freeway. My car won another trophy, and while I appreciate it’s other awards, I really earned this one.

When I inherited my car a few years ago, I wasn’t driving much at all, usually just a few blocks at a time due to the pain and fatigue that has persisted after an accident many years ago. My husband would drive the car for me when it wasn’t in winter storage, then after his loss, my son and his friends would take it to meets for me.

I love my car and I enjoy talking to others about it at the weekly meets and shows, but for the past several years I always felt like a fraud in the car world, since someone would always have to drive it for me. I didn’t feel like a true owner – someone who could talk about the joy of driving a classic car and enjoy the admiring glances of others. I always had to explain at the meets that it was my car but someone else drove it for me, since my driver would often get queried about the car then point over at me. I would get sympathetic yet strange glances, as in, ‘this person owns a car but doesn’t drive?’

I have been working very hard this summer, taking driving lessons and practicing. Instead of going to one meet every few weeks, I now often get to three a week. It’s a wonderful feeling being able to get there myself. I now feel like a legitimate car owner.

I am very proud of my achievement – it has come with a lot of sweat and anxiety, but I kept on. I also owe a big thanks to a special friend from my car club, who has sat in the passenger seat on unfamiliar routes until I got used to them, and also helped me map out the best route to get to this week’s show. His encouragement and friendship has motivated me to keep trying.

Sometimes we just need that push to move us out of our comfort zone, and while it is difficult, the feeling of accomplishment afterwards is so worth it.