What Drives Me

A Tribute to Mr. G

Mr. G, our High School Drivers’ Ed Instructor made us giggle.

Since we were only 16 years old, there was a lot of stuff that made us laugh at the most inappropriate times. My friends and I attended an all girls’ Catholic school in The Bronx. This was 1981, back in the day when nuns were stricter. Our uniform skirts were of a certain length. There were rules for everything and very few of us broke them. You get the idea….

When the time came for our Drivers Education outside of the classroom, we let loose! Today we all know that driver safety is no laughing matter, but back then, all bets were off.

Mr. G didn’t help matters much by wearing thick glasses, high waters, ——those skinny legged pants that came up to his ankles. He also wore a bright green vest every time he met us for our lesson. And I mean EVERY time. To top it all off, there was his Southern Accent. I don’t know where he was born and raised but I do know he had the thickest Southern accent I ever heard.

In between threatening to throw us all out of the car he taught us how to drive.

What I remember most about him beyond his fashion faux pas, was the three statements he repeated:

“Aim High!”
“Don’t Hesitate!”
“Don’t look Back!”

As young drivers, he cautioned us to “Aim High!”. To look at the cars beyond the one in front of us. Maybe there was a red light up ahead or a car suddenly turning. He wanted us to look forward, to be aware of what was going on up ahead and all around us.

“Don’t hesitate!” he shouted. There we were, many times, paralyzed in the middle of an intersection on a busy Bronx street. “Don’t hesitate!” he would repeat. “Check that you are clear in all directions and DRIVE!” he would say.

“Don’t look back!” His instruction to check our mirrors sometimes meant that we would look at them too long and too often, causing him to jam on his safety breaks. “Don’t look back!” He would remind us. “Don’t worry so much about what’s bahind ya!”

Little did I know at that time how Mr. G’s chorus of cautions would teach me lessons way beyond driving. These are lessons that I have taken with me throughout my life.

Beyond High School there were many decisions to make and life events which caused me to take pause. I heard Mr. G’s words, in his inimitable twang, of course.

His words became MY words.

“Aim High!”
“Don’t Hesitate!”
“Don’t look Back!”

These words became my mantra before I knew what the word MANTRA meant.

• There was the opportunity to take my first job in Manhattan “Aim High!” I remembered.
• A chance to switch careers from Marketing to Sales “Don’t hesitate”
• A relationship that didn’t quite work out the way I had hoped “Don’t look back!”

Today I pay Tribute to Mr. G. My first thought is, I really hope he has forgiven our rude behavior.

My second thought is: I am so grateful to him for teaching me how to be a great driver. It’s not easy to navigate these congested NYC streets.

He did his job and he did it well. I hope he knew that - despite our “carrying on” as they used to say.

I am eternally grateful to him for teaching me how to live by giving me words to live by.

“Aim High!”
“Don’t Hesitate!”
“Don’t look Back!”

Said with a Twang, or a Bronx accent, the words resonate the same.