I don’t really drive. My auto-pilot does. I turn the key, crank up the CD player and go, never paying much attention to where I am. I have missed turns and driven to work when I meant to go to church or the store. Driving in the car is my time to think, to regroup, and to relax. This morning, however, my restful interlude was rudely interrupted when an anxious driver tried to cut me off on the entrance to the expressway. Although I am usually pretty calm about driving delays and disturbances, I was furious. How dare he try to cut me off? What would it get him, anyway? At most, he’d be sitting still a few cars ahead of me once we merged onto the highway. The nerve! After I’d prevented the offensive driver from achieving his goal (don’t ask how—it wasn’t pretty), I settled back to my tranquil drive into work. As I drove, I couldn’t help but realize there are many life lessons to be learned from the road.
RED LIGHTS. Red lights keep you from moving. The delay is temporary, but if you are in a big hurry it seems to last a lifetime. How do you react to red lights? I don’t notice them half the time. I don’t drive through them, but I will surface from my thoughts and realize I am sitting still although I cannot remember stopping for the light. My husband curses the lights before they have even turned red. I notice my son has developed his habits. We’ll be about half a mile from a traffic signal, and I will hear him start to chant “stay green, stay green, stay green…” There are others who welcome red lights. These are the people who use the time to apply their makeup, fix their hair, or eat breakfast. No time will be unused; a red light merely means they have been given an opportunity to accomplish something else.
What’s your reaction when life throws you a red light? Do you curse the delay? Maybe you don’t even notice you’ve stopped. Or do you welcome the opportunity to try something else? TREACHEROUS CONDITIONS. We can’t always drive in the best of conditions. There are times when we have to deal with rain, slippery roads, snow, and even hail. How do you respond? My brother-in-law approaches it like a road test. He slams the brakes to check their effectiveness. He flings the steering wheel back and forth testing maneuverability. If you are in the car with him, better make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened and your lunch is several hours past. In contrast, when I have to drive in bad weather I white-knuckle it the whole way, overcompensating because of my frayed nerves. When I can finally stop I breathe a sigh of relief, offer up a prayer of thanks, and look for someone else to drive the next time! Then, there are the sane people. These drivers methodically make their way where they need to go. They don’t drive if it’s not necessary, yet are able to maintain control in the treacherous weather (of their car as well as their minds).
How about when your life is experiencing some bad weather? Which type of navigator are you? Are you daring—throwing caution to the wind? Maybe you’re timid, hoping to just get through it alive. Or are you able to keep your sanity despite the storms going on around you? LONG TRIPS. Probably everybody has experienced a “road trip” at some point in their lives. What do you do to pass the time? My dad uses a long trip to tune up his singing voice, performing every dirty limerick he learned back at the Frat House for the benefit of his captive audience. Needless to say, I developed the habit early on of sleeping through a long car ride. Just kidding, when I am the designated driver, I must admit that I have carried on Dad’s tradition. Dirty limericks, no, but I do love to belt it out along with the “Grease” soundtrack. Hubby prefers the extra time a long road trip provides to catch up on news, learn something through Automobile University (tapes or CDs), or even just to talk to me (imagine that). What do you do to pass the time through the long stretches life might afford? Do you sleep your way through, wishing for a quick ending? Or do you enjoy the trip, but not really do much to improve along the way? Or maybe, you take advantage of the extra time you are given to make a difference, learn something new, or help a friend. But the biggest lesson from the road is that whether we’re in a car or going through life, what’s most important to keep in mind is that our perception of the situation is a choice we can make. And the choice we make can make all the difference in the world.
Copyright, 2003
