Life is a highway – a wholesome metaphor for this winding and beautiful journey.
And it’s all about learning to drive manual.
Getting a feel for when to change gears.
Knowing when you can speed up — use the turbo — and when you need to slow down, or even come to a halt.

Driving manual forces you to be present.
You feel every gear change, every mistake, every moment you push too hard or not enough.
Automatic is smoother — but easier to switch off in.

I learned to drive stick when I was sixteen — on an old country road, with my papa in the passenger seat, telling me what to do. It’s still somehow unbelievable to me how much patience and calm he had for me.
The amount of times I stalled the car — letting the clutch come up too fast or too slow. Accidentally putting the stick into the wrong gear. Or hitting the brake without using the clutch to gear down.

And then, all of a sudden, you can hit the road by yourself.
The world trusts you to steer this vehicle wherever you want it to go — and not hurt anybody else in the process.
Somehow ridiculous, right?

I’m sure all of us remember our first time stalling at a traffic light, with more than one car behind us.
Or going a little above the speed limit just to see what happens.
Cutting a corner too fast.
Testing whether the light was actually red, or just some shade of orange.
The rush of adrenaline — and then the relief that everything was fine, that no one got harmed.

The limits I tested, just to see what was possible — and where I’d get into trouble.
And into trouble I got.
I learned my lesson.

Now, I’m not at all the driver I was when I started out.
I’m calmer. I don’t want to rush anymore.
If I need to be somewhere at a certain time, I’ll leave fifteen minutes early — to enjoy the ride instead of being pressured by traffic and time.

Looking back now at the highways and byways I’ve taken — by myself, or with friends and loved ones.
The mountains I rushed up, and then burned the brakes all the way down.
The scenic roads and FSRs I’ve explored.
The shortcuts that turned into great adventures, and sometimes the longer way to the destination.
The wrong turns that became a lesson.

The conversations I had along the way.
There’s something about sitting side by side with someone and talking about your deepest fears and desires — somehow, it makes me open up more.

Personally, I don’t give up the wheel easily.
I genuinely enjoy driving — especially if I can scream my lungs out to my favourite tunes.
Or maybe it’s because I don’t trust people easily, and don’t like giving away control.

I can count on one hand the people I trust to drive my car — and me.
That small group is where I fully enjoy being the passenger princess, where my brain can truly shut off.
Please, take the wheel and show me the way.
Take me home.

And that’s how I want people to be when they’re in my driver’s seat — cautious, focused, considerate, and reliable.
Bring on the fun as well — but right now, I’m putting my life in your hands, so please don’t take that lightly.
I love a good road trip where you can share the load of driving.
Where trust is mutual.
And in my humble opinion, falling asleep in the passenger seat while I’m driving is — somehow — one of the greatest compliments you can receive. Then I want to set the car on cruise control — and just enjoy the view.

Until next time, trust yourself to change gears for the pace you want to go at.
Maybe I’ll see you cruising by on the highway.