Over my 13 years as a Noozhawk columnist, I’ve written about my life and its many transitions.

Highlights that readers have most related to are my stories of becoming a grandmother, surviving the Montecito debris flows, enduring the COVID-19 pandemic, losing parents and friends to age and disease, figuring out electronics in my car, and computer technology, to name a few.

While I have tried to go through all these experiences with some degree of humor and hopefulness, nothing has challenged me as much as having to renew my California driver’s license and take the associated written test after 10 years.

I had heard about the difficulty of the written test from all my peers who were experiencing the same anxiety, so I prepared myself as if going into battle with the DMV.

I studied the booklet over and over, I ordered cheat sheets, I took notes as if preparing for a final exam at college, I took practice tests.

I must say that my confidence level was not especially high, especially after missing so many questions on the practice test and hearing all the horror stories from others.

But I’ve been driving for decades. How hard could this be?

So I showed up for my appointment only a few days before my license was to expire (no pressure).

No problem with the sight test or photo op. I filled out all the forms and headed to the scary computer testing station.

First step, thumb print (no cheating). Then up comes the first question. My first emotional response was, “I’m in trouble.”

Well, you guessed it: I flunked.

I fessed up to my eldest child who did some “Oh, mom” shaming and dismissed my attention span. But the pressure was on with just three days until my birthday, and the accompanying license expiration date.

I hit the books once again for the entire weekend.

Being one to share my trials and tribulations on social media, I began getting notes from followers commiserating about their failures.

But then I got a few calls that put me over the edge. I was told I could take the test online? How did I not even know this was an option?!

I wasn’t the only person who didn’t get the memo, but others shared their good fortune at having passed by signing up for the at-home version.

Apparently, the DMV added the online version of the test and e-learning classes several years ago.

To make matters worse, I wasn’t eligible because I had already signed up for the in-person test — unaware of the online option and belatedly learning that the DMV help line is closed on the weekends. I share this with my readers only to save you from going to the DMV in person for the written test.

Last Monday rolled around, and there I was again, lined up with the rest of the victims — er, test takers — to try again. After three flunks, I learned, you can pay $45 to try anew.

My head was swimming with distances from curbs, weight of a kid in a car seat, distance from behind a semi truck, weather-related conditions for stopping, and on and on.

This test had nothing to do with my spotless driving record, but my confidence was shattered.

Not to keep you in suspense, but I did pass the second time. I faced the computer, I read and reread every question, I talked to myself — a lot.

I looked among the multiple choices for those trick questions. Was it just A, or A and D? The last question was how many feet to park from a fire hydrant (15)?

After I learned I had passed, I popped back over to the proctor and picture taker, and, still in a cold sweat, told her the good news. I must have looked pretty bad because she asked if I needed medical attention. I said no, but maybe a hug?

In my relief, I sat in my car doing Lamaze breathing (probably dating myself here). But now that my ordeal is behind me for at least five years, I headed home very carefully, signaling 100 feet before every corner.

At my family birthday dinner, with my new driver’s license tucked in my purse, my granddaughters asked my age.

I didn’t lie, afraid some DMV spy was in the restaurant. They thought I looked much younger than I am, but I added “not much smarter.”

Aging is unavoidable, scary and sobering, and I know life will continue to challenge me. Although I do not know what the next hurdle will be, I just hope it doesn’t have too many trick questions.