Learning Stick Shift

I spotted these car window messages last week. The first two are one sticker viewed from different angles. As I drove away from snapping the pics of Jesus, I spotted the hand painted message on another parked car. The juxtaposition was perfect.

That apology message reminds me of my first stick shift lesson when I was 18 years old. My boyfriend agreed to teach me in his sweet 1966 blue gray Mustang. It didn’t go as planned. In retrospect, it was incredibly dumb to begin manual transmission training during rush hour. Not being naturally coordinated, I couldn’t grasp the concept at all.

The driver… gifted me with grace and forgiveness

At the busy intersection of Del Mar Parkway and Colfax Avenue, green light after green light cycled by as I stalled the engine over and over. The driver stuck behind me was patient – she deserved a medal for not honking or worse. She gifted me with grace and forgiveness that evening.

I finally cleared the intersection, lurching all the way, and we ended up on a quiet residential street. I cried, frustrated because I would never be cool enough to drive a stick.

“Wait, I have an idea,” my boyfriend said. He somehow folded his 6’4” frame so he could kneel sideways on the front passenger side floor. He stretched both arms around the four-on-the-floor-console and grabbed my ankles.

From that awkward position, he gently moved my feet up and down on the clutch and accelerator so I could feel the timing as he calmly issued verbal instructions. “Give it some gas. Listen for it. Now push the clutch in. Shift now. Release it slowly. A little faster. Good!”

After a couple of tries, my brain and muscles synched, and I started smoothly clutching and shifting all on my own.

Although it’s been decades since I drove a stick shift every day, I can still drive one whenever I need to or want to. The skill comes flooding back to me, bringing with it the memory of my clever boy saying, “Listen for it.” I do, and away I go.

#hesakeeper #tactilelearning

Thanks for reading! Which do you prefer - manual or automatic? Has someone shown you grace when you’ve made a mistake in traffic? Please share in the comments if you’re up for it!