Facing Down My Fears

I am feeling pretty pumped up this morning.

First, I made it to the car dealer despite missing the entrance the first time and ending up on the freeway to Melbourne.

For an inexperienced driver in Aus, nothing can be more hair-raising than being on the freeway. I was gripping my steering wheel with that sense of helplessness from knowing that the car has to keep going because there are other cars behind, yet you don't know where you are, or more importantly, how to get off the freeway.

What made the incident more icky was that the fuel gauge was hovering dangerously on 'E'.

Which led to problem #2: I have only ever topped up the fuel tank once in the past 15 months, and that was out of sheer bo-pian (necessity). I prefer leaving these sorts of things to CA.

But when you're planning a detour from your usual route, you can't risk stalling at the side of the freeway.

So the first thing I did when I found the Hoppers Crossing exit (aside from heaving a huge sigh of relief) was to find a petrol station.

The first time I pulled up to the pump, I found I had parked too far back and the hose wouldn't extend to reach the tank. So I got behind the wheel and inched forward till the fuel tank was lined up with the pump. These are the sorts of things you have got to get right if you want your day to go smoothly.

Thank goodness there was only one other car in the station. I was inspired and comforted by the sight of the Malay lady driver squatting down as she pumped petrol into her car. I saw her again when I went inside the station to pay - she had a baby in one arm.

After putting in $15 worth of petrol, I found my way to Ballan Holden (again). This time, I knew exactly where the entrance was. The customer service lady gave me a smile of recognition and got the new transponder key for me. I tested it and it was all good, so I went back in to let her know. She was a lot more cheerful than when I saw her last week, so she must be having a good start to her week.

I am so pleased with my morning of achievement.

This afternoon, I'll have to face the traffic on Old Geelong Road to get Beth to and from her gym trial. I finally got round to booking her a free trial session at Hoppers Crossing Gymnastics Club. Unfortunately, most kid-centred activities are located on Old Geelong Road, the busiest stretch of road in the area other than the Princess Highway.

Then I have to get J from daycare, organize dinner and hopefully make it on time to P&F at 7.30 pm.