Expanding My Driving Territory

I really thank God for answering my prayer on Thursday.

I had two appointments: one in Ascot Vale, to which I've never driven, and one in Williamstown, and my prayer was to get there and in between and back safely.

The name "Ascot Vale" made me nervous. For some reason, I kept thinking of that gangland incident on Union Road some years ago, and wondered if it was a good idea to hang out there.

Hubby was incredulous when I first told him I was meeting a friend in Ascot Vale. He of all people knows how nervous I am when driving in unfamiliar territory.

"Why all the way there?"

Indeed. But for my friend who recommended the place as having the dietary options she is after, I would have asked the same question.

In the end, in spite of all my fears about getting lost, running out of petrol, finding myself caught up in some Underbelly-type crossfire, I survived.

The latte was great, the chocolate croissant yummy. S had the vegan equivalent of a tuna panini which got me thinking about going vegetarian. (Some day, not right now.)

I even had time for a stroll along the Williamstown waterfront while waiting for my lunch appointment, something I've not done in a very long time. So out of practice was I that I struggled to quell the noise in my mind and to be fully present to the beauty of my surroundings.

I've learned something valuable: the only way to get over the discomfort of something is to keep doing it a little at a time until the discomfort eventually goes away and it becomes another autopilot process.