Driving into the weekend…

The long weekend of Holi is here and I have been thinking the entire last week as to what should I be doing in the short vacation.

Me: Should I be booking a short trip?

Also me: No.. I would rather save money and go on a long trip.

Me: Or, roam around the city and explore the smallest lanes? I actually love exploring the small nooks and corners of a city.

Also me: Maybe, depending on how much household chores need to be completed before the next work week begins.

To conclude this week long internal dialogue, let me tell you, I ended up planning absolutely nothing. Friday night, I closed the lid of my laptop still wondering what to do next morning and when Saturday arrived, I spent half the day sleeping and the other half watching random videos online.

I have recently perfected driving a car and have been itching to go on a long drive by myself for weeks. Just to prove to myself that I can! Fast forward to Sunday morning, between my weekend chores / exercise / leisure and just taking off somewhere; the latter itchy feeling won. Getting ready for the day, I hopped into the car and took off. No destination, no maps; just the car, the highway and my whims.

As soon as the car hit the highway, let me say this- I could physically feel the world being left behind. My shoulders relaxed, I felt calm and I could feel the tension ebbing away from my body. There were no random thoughts running amok in my brain, it was all peace as I drove on and on with the trees passing by and the other cars whizzing along on the road. With the miles eating away as I put on my favourite music playlist, I felt so released from the shackles of the day to day life that I wondered why I was ever afraid to drive.

When I had initially learnt driving the car – years ago, if I’m being honest- it was immensely scary to understand the mechanics, to learn when to shift the gears, to develop the judgement to pass through heavy traffic without scratching my car or god forbid denting someone else’s vehicle! So scared was I that I refused to drive unless there was minimal traffic, and I stuck my posterior only into the passenger seat almost every single time.

Eventually, my stubborn streak took over last year when I decided to face my fears and cross through this mental block I had created myself. The moment I took that decision, everything fell into place and driving became the easiest thing. How often do we do this, I wondered as I drove on. What other experiences am I missing out on, just because I stick to the passenger seat of my life journey instead of taking the control of the steering wheel? What new adventures / awakenings I might be missing on, because I might not have the courage to explore or act on my thoughts and wishes?

I am sure every one of us, at some point or the other feels this way. How many times do we decide to make a change in our life and then go right back to our old routine? How many ‘New year resolutions’ are we actually able to follow through on? All it needs is a teeny tiny baby step, and for me it started with the thought – ‘I am going to drive’ as opposed to my previous thinking of ‘I wish to learn to drive’.

Coming back to my Sunday sojourn – at the end of the first leg of my long drive, I came out of the car with the biggest smile on my face. Most of you might feel it’s a silly thing to be so proud of, but for me this was a personal validation that I could achieve anything I set my mind to. An achievement of a milestone of sorts which brought so much joy to my heart.

In the movie Piku, there’s a dialogue that goes- ‘Driving liberates a woman’ and I felt this to the core. I bid adieu with this post for now, as I drive on, hoping to conquer many more such obstacles through my journey and emerge with a smile of joy every time.

Hoping that this anecdote of my experience inspires others to move on their own path of liberation…

P.S.- few snaps from my outing