POST-CONFERENCE MUSINGS, CONTINUED...

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY TO LEARN TO DRIVE
So I thought of this topic today because, again, it always seems to come up.  At conferences, adults with Moebius who maybe are joining us for the first time ask about--"Do you guys drive?  How is it?"  There are some adults with Moebius out there who don't drive.  Maybe it just seems so, so scary to learn how, given our physical differences, given the differences in our vision.  Perhaps you're afraid that you'll mess up in front of your instructor and/or other students.  Or you're afraid they will take one look at your condition and they won't let you take a driving course.  Maybe some are afraid they won't be able to learn to drive, period.  There must be Moebius moms and dads out there who wonder--will my child be able to drive later in life?

First of all, let's say this:  it is only natural to be nervous, perhaps a bit scared, when you're facing the prospect of learning how to drive.  If I remember right, I took a driver's ed course when I was 16 (that was way back in 1978--how time flies).  On the morning of the first day of class, I woke up literally shaking (I didn't know it then, but I wouldn't even have to drive that day; it would simply be a class day.  But I didn't know that...)  When the first day came when you'd have to actually do hands-on driving came, I'm pretty sure I was shaking again that morning.  So it's only natural to be scared.  Everybody is.  I remember hearing the kids in my high school class saying how, when they had to drive on streets for the first time with their instructor, they were nervous as heck too.  So don't let the fact that you're very nervous, that you're afraid, hold you back.  Don't think you're the only one who's got some nerves, while everyone else is cool as a cucumber and knows it will be a snap.  It's not like that.  Others hide it well.  But they're nervous too.

Meanwhile, here's reasons why you SHOULD learn how to drive.  1] You can do it!  I can drive.  My wife can drive.  I know many other adults with Moebius who can drive.  So you can too.  Look, my Moebius means I can only see out of one eye at a time.  I can see out of both, but only one at a time.  So really in a way I drive with one eye.  But I compensate.  I'm always moving my head around, using my rear-view mirrors, switching between eyes, and of course being as careful as I can.  (For example:  I like to take routes to this place or that which I know well; that cuts down on potential problems.  If I know I'll have to eventually get in the right lane of a road in order to make a turn, I get in that right lane as soon as possible.  It means less lane-switching; which means fewer potential problems.  Etc.)  I've had a few fender-benders (a few of them my fault; but not all!!!); so does everyone, whether they have Moebius or not.  So you can do this.

2] Being able to drive is kind of essential in today's economy.  Look, you all want a good job; you want to be able to support yourselves, lead an independent life, be all you can be (sorry, US Army, for stealing your line :+).  You need to be able to get to work on time, and do all that your job requires.  That means you need a car, and to be able to drive.  And again--you can do it.

3] And don't you want to be able to conquer your fears?  To get over them, get past them, prove to yourself all you can be?  There are few better feelings in the world than that.  Think of how good you'll feel about yourself, how much self-confidence you can gain. 

Now of course, Moebius Syndrome affects different people in different ways.  If you're affected more severely by it, then of course--check with your doctor and maybe get his/her opinion, talk with your family members.  You can even try it out--try driving someone's car--ve-rrr-y slowly--in a parking lot, and see what you think.  Get others' opinions.  That's fine.  But think about this...and remember, think about in the sense of--what _can_ I do?  Not just what you can't do.


“Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory.”--Susan Brownell Anthony (1820-1906)