30 hours of class time.

Six hours of driving.

Four hours of observation.

Three weeks of my summer seemingly wasted by attending a class where all we seemed to do was watch videos of cars hitting moose and listen to stories about turtles.

But I did learn a small number of things.

I learned that you have to be forgiving for the mistakes others make on the road, whether it be switching lanes on the expressway without using a turn signal or running a red light on Cascade.

I learned that you have to forgive the other drivers on the road because you don’t know what’s making them rush through an intersection or forget a turn signal—you don’t know if they’re late for a meeting or just have a lot on their plate, and you don’t know what’s going on inside their brains or what kind of day they’re having.

I also learned how to turn on yellow lights.

I was taught that when life gives you an opportunity, you have to take it because it could be a while before the next break of cars appears in your line of vision.

Impulsive is one word I would never use to describe myself; in fact, I’d describe myself as indecisive. I like to overthink every decision and theorize the outcome of every situation before even thinking of reaching an agreement with myself. I like to wait for the perfect moment with the perfect conditions.

I would like to consider myself a careful person. I always look both ways when crossing the roads, I think over every answer before I write it down on a test, and I double tie my shoes every single morning just to be thorough and to make sure they last throughout the day.

With driving, I’ve realized that I have to be the opposite: impulsive, rash, and spontaneous. I just have to hit the gas without thinking too much about it and complete the turn whenever the opening presents itself to me as opposed to waiting for the perfect conditions like I normally do.

I’ve come to the conclusion that this philosophy doesn’t only apply to driving; it refers to my own life as well. I need to stop waiting for the perfect moment and instead just put my foot to the pedal and make the moment perfect myself.

Sometimes you just have to go when the light is yellow and make that left-hand turn.