So I had a bit of an epiphany this past weekend. Well, two, but please allow me to backtrack for a moment.
[Sidebar: Please note I was not paid to write this post and my thoughts are my own. However, I did attend a weekend long event as a guest of Ford Canada. This post is a bit about that weekend, and then some. Read on!]
As I mentioned earlier, I was invited along on a special excursion hosted by Ford Canada along with a bevy of other Ottawa bloggers. The location: Mont-Tremblant. I hadn’t been in years and was very excited about a return visit. But I am getting ahead of myself. Our weekend began Saturday morning at Campbell Ford with some “back to basics” instruction about winter driving and car ownership. What to keep in the trunk in case of an emergency was something we talked about. FYI: a mini shovel, flashlight, a bag of sand or cat litter (for if you get stuck on the ice), basic survival food (i.e. granola bars and water), are all great things to have on hand. Part of this time was also spent talking about what to do if you start to skid, or if a tire blows, etc. There was also a tire-changing demo, although now that I think about it, as soon as the weather improves I’m going to practice on one of my own tires and have the girls watch me do it.
Another lesson was about refilling the oil and windshield washer fluid. I am embarrassed to even admit this here, but really I needed this kind of instruction. It’s shameful, really. As a driver I should know how to do these very basic things.
By total coincidence, the day after we returned from our weekend adventure I found myself starting the car, and remembering something Mark had told me earlier that day: “Don’t forget the car needs wiper fluid.” Ugh. Ok. Here we go. It was freezing and salty grey outside, and I drove the car to the nearest gas station. First hurdle: how to pop the hood. Second, open the hood. Third, find the proper spout thingy. (Gawd, this is so embarrassing.)
I opened everything up before going into the store and buying a container of the wiper fluid. And here’s my special tip for you: OPEN THE CONTAINER IN THE STORE. It has a childproof cap on it, and doing this outside in sub-zero temperatures might be difficult. Especially while wearing mittens.
The Ford folks showed us the proper way of pouring it into the car. You turn the container sideways to minimize spillage, which was helpful to me as my hands shook while pouring it. And you know what? I did it. It was total refill success.
During our weekend with Ford we also had the opportunity to learn to drive a manual car from a professional driving instructor/race car driver. The vehicle of choice: the new 2015 Mustang. We were apparently the first people to drive it. (!)
So imagine, if you will, little old me, learning to drive a stick shift in this gorgeous NEW car, with a race car driver in the passenger seat, on a snowy back road in Quebec.
I was petrified, to say the least. I was afraid of crashing into something (ICY SNOWBANKS EVERYWHERE – PEDESTRIANS TOO) and generally making a complete fool of myself. I have to hand it to the instructor though. He was so patient when I stalled, and stalled, and stalled again. He must have thought I was awful, but to his credit he never showed it. And I did it! I drove it! Well, sort of. Although I won’t be running out to buy a standard, if I was ever faced with driving one, I could drive it.
So yes. This was my first weekend epiphany: I CAN DO IT. This is no small thing. Living in fear of this kind of stuff is ridiculous, and I refuse to do it anymore.
Look for epiphany number two tomorrow.