Life Lessons Driving has taught me: Part I
Trust the timing of your life
I got my drivers license when I was 18. All of my friends
got theirs when they were 16. My delay was not due to my parents or other circumstances;
it was because I didn’t feel like I was ready. When I finally did get my
license I felt more comfortable and ready to handle all of the responsibilities
that came with driving. In life, sometimes your timing may not seem to be
lining up with other people. You may be thinking about your age and thinking
you should have certain things or that you should’ve accomplished A, B or C by
now. That is not true. You decide when and if you should or should not do
anything in this life. If you’re not ready for something, trust that.
Use what you know to guide you
Before I got my license I had to have a permit for 30 days.
That gave me one month to practice before I was set free onto the open road. My
mom drove with me a lot because she knew I was nervous. One day we were driving
to pick up my friend and on the way it started raining. Then it started
pouring. I could not see anything and I was starting to freak out. My mom was
very calm and she told me to look for the line on the right side of the road
and use it to guide me. She said I would be ok, to just drive slow and follow
the line. She was right. I ended up making it to my friends’ house safely. I
still use that trick whenever I am driving in rain to this day. I also use it
in my life. If I am feeling lost and can’t seem to find my way. I look for
something that I know to guide me until I can see clearly again.
Accidents happen
I’ve been in a few car accidents. I consider myself a responsible
driver; I follow the rules, and do my best to be safe. It still did not prevent
those accidents from happening. There are a lot of times in life when things
will go wrong, mistakes will be made, injuries will occur. Hopefully a lesson
is learned and you become a better person because of it.
Be Courteous to others
The road is a lot like life when it comes to people. You see a lot of people’s ugly sides. You see
people who act dangerously and seem to have no regard for others. You see a lot
of impatience. But you also see a lot of kindness. People letting people pass, people
stopping to help animals or people singing and laughing together in the car.
There will always be angry unkind people. Don’t let them change you. Choose to
be kind in spite of their ugliness. The world will thank you.
Sometimes you have to find another way
It’s happened to me more times than I can count. I’m happily
driving somewhere I’ve been a thousand times and then all of a sudden the road
is closed. I have to turn around and find another way to get to where I was
going. Sometimes I get lucky and there is a detour to follow. Other times, I am
on my own. Oh, how true to life this is.
Sometimes you will have all of your steps planned out and know exactly how you
are going to get to a goal and then all of a sudden something happens and you
are unable to accomplish what you set out to do. Do you give up when that
happens? Absolutely not! You just have to figure out a new approach. Do
research – maybe someone will have ideas for you that can help. If you can’t
find any information, well, you are on your own. Just remember, there is always
more than one way to get to where you need to go. It’s not always going to be
the road you thought that will get you there.
Take care of yourself
Cars cannot run on empty. There is also routine maintenance
that needs to be done to make sure your car runs properly and lasts a long
time. You must get oil changes, change the filters, check brake pads and so
much more. You can ignore some of these things for a while but eventually your
car will stop running either temporarily or altogether. Your body, mind and spirit are the same. You
must take care of them. If you go too long without proper nourishment, sleep or
exercise, your body will shut down. If you work too much or stay in a highly
stressful situation for too long, your mind will suffer. You can have an
unhealthy mind and body and still function, but not well, and not as long as
you would if you took care of those things. Do the maintenance. You deserve it.
Enjoy the ride
I am someone who loves road trips. I love singing at the top
of my lungs and taking in all of the beautiful scenery as it passes my by. I
love rolling down the windows and feeling the breeze against my face and through my hair. I use that time to reflect and think but I also live
in the moment and try to take it all in. I don’t like to rush, but I don’t like
to take forever either. You will go a lot of places in life. You will have a
lot of moments. The past is important – visit it when you need to. The future
is important – It provides direction if we use it properly. But the present moment is
the most important place of them all. It is all we really have. Enjoy the ride.
