Learn how to drive a stick shift

“Knowing I had to get out on the streets hit me like a brick. It took me about 10 minutes, and several tissues to calm down from my near panic attack. [...] I stalled the car several times, and I kept switching to the wrong gear. At one point, I did something that resulted in a horrible noise that terrified me. I only just managed to get the car into the parking lot a few feet up before I completely lost it and asked Jim to “just take us home”.”

“On the day of Jim’s surgery, I was a bundle of nerves when the nurse called to tell me to bring the car around. I was scared that I’d screw up in front of her and she’d forbid me from taking Jim home. But, somehow I managed to pick him up, and the trip home, without a single incident. [...] It was stressful. My stomach was in knots. I was sure something would go wrong. I kept to the slow lane so I could pull over easily in the event of any problem. But nothing happened. I did what I had to do, and, while it wasn’t a flawless execution, it was certainly a competent one.”

“in the middle of traffic the day i got my car. i killed it 19 times trying to make a left hand turn... which stoped traffic both ways, a good 10 or more cars each way. then finally dumped the cluth and had a huge burn out, then tryin to make it home with some dignity left i kill it crossing a highway right in the middle. almost sold my car b/c of that day”