Learning to Drive

Tikkanen got her Learner's Permit this week.  We went out that night for a nice drive. Same with the following evening.

Later in the week, we took a rush hour drive as well. 

We'll probably do this in 3 stages. The first will be suburban Maryland. The next will be DC and the Beltway with some highway  driving.  Then, one day I'll just say something like "ok, we're driving to Philadelphia" and we'll do it.

She's been a great student. Thoughtful and conscientious.  It's definitely a bit nerve-wracking at times, but really good meditative practice. 

More importantly, I realize that this is an opportunity to impart life lessons through the lens of learning how to drive.

Learning to drive is a lifelong pursuit and this week I found out about a really interesting connection between two of my driving instructors.

Lakkanen and I are reading Pirkei Avot in preparation for her bat mitzvah.  On my own, I have been reading some of Marcus Aurelius' sayings from Meditations.

It turns out that the curator of the mishna, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, was not only a contemporary of the Emperor, but a friend.

That was a really unexpected find for me