Tonight while I was driving home with the windows down, I was singing (nearly) at the top of my lungs - since that's what you do on a summer night, you drive around with the windows down whether or not you have air-conditioning and play rock star in your car. The thing you may not realize is that there are times when it's not just you and the radio. At a stop light I had just hit a chorus when I heard a voice from over my left shoulder hollering, "you've got a beautiful voice!" I turned to see a scruffy man in a John Deere cap in the next car over, both his windows down, grinning at me. I sized up the situation, took stock of the song, and sang louder.
Lesson one: Take your entertainment where you can find it, with the corollary: It's OK sometimes to participate in other people's fun, particularly if you are safely separated by two full cars (hey, he had no idea if I had mace or was a serial killer - gotta take a risk now and then!). Lesson two: SING. Sing loudly, enthusiastically, with style and attitude and only a passing consideration of accuracy as long as it's fun (which will pretty much be always). Lesson three: Make sure to show your fans a little love.
Watch out for falling turtles (especially if they look like Cher or a pop-y emo band),
Cyd
P.S. How much do you want to bet John Deere Cap is intimately acquainted with all the lyrics to the entire Charlie Daniels' Band catalog? You KNOW he's a superstar in his Subaru!
Showing posts with label driving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label driving. Show all posts
July 19, 2010
February 22, 2008
Green, Yellow, .... (Brake Really Hard)
In which we shall see: Speed (not THAT kind), an extended metaphor, an epiphany, a Sidebar including MoTab, a brick wall, a potential remake of Thelma and Louise, common sense, a guest appearance by my mother, a PSA, and the rock album of the (last) year.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I like to drive fast. Fortunately, my slightly oversized Matchbox car doesn't have much gumption, so even the fact that I am a "woman driver" doesn't inspire a lot of fear. Speed is my friend and therefore stoplights are not - unfortunately, I happen to have the worst timing KNOWN TO MAN. If I'm in anything remotely resembling even the teensy-tiniest little bit of a hurry (which, let's face it, is normal for me), 98% of the lights I encounter WILL be red. Even having lived with this timing problem for years has not mellowed me to its effects - sometimes I'll gun through yellow/blushing/actually red lights just for spite, not because I really need to be somewhere. (And those timing issues apply to relationships, too... Wait, yes, that is a topic for another post. Or 50.)
So I'm out driving tonight (Daughtry CD blaring) and I'm coming up to a light, and oh! - it turned red! and I accepted the moment with a brief mental sigh rather than a spurt of blood-vessel-popping road rage (my more usual M.O. - I REALLY hate waiting). As I came to a stop, a flash of mental clarity came to me, and I spent the rest of the drive pondering a new idea. (cont. below)
(SIDEBAR: These introspective episodes seem to be happening more frequently since I started this blog - what with the whole "wanting to find something interesting to say" motivation growing, and all. Could it be that I'm finally starting to gain a better understanding of myself and those around me? Could true enlightenment be far away? Could the Blog really be such a powerful tool? *chorus: "Laaaaaaa!"* Within the next few posts, we may find out!)
(cont.) I wondered: maybe stoplights aren't such a bad thing. Sure, they choke me up and get in the way (hate waiting!), but they're also probably keeping me safe. I have been known to zone out and get distracted (I'm famous for U-turns in my family), and I do go a little too fast now and then, so it could be a good thing to be checked and slowed. That stoplight is a breather, a chance to become re-aware of my location and the other drivers around me... Without lights I might not ever get to where I'm trying to go, since I'm most often trying to so quickly get to where I want to be that I lose track of landmarks and roads and the nitty-gritty of HOW to get there. When I stop I can check the directions AND scan for street signs! Bonus!
Then I thought: maybe my life is like that, too. I hate waiting, and I hate feeling like I'm being checked up in getting to what I want to do - but when I look back I can see that if I hadn't been pulled up short on a regular basis I could be on a very different, much less pleasant, road. Case in point - (Warning: awkward confessional ahead) a while ago I found myself rushing into a situation and ignoring the yellow lights flashing madly from all sides. I knew it was stupid, and inappropriate, and unacceptable... and I didn't care. I was going in anyway. Until I came up to a red light masquerading as a brick wall - then I stopped, and threw one heckuva temper tantrum... I wanted to be stupid! I wanted to throw caution (and better judgement) to the winds, and I was mad that I wasn't going to be ALLOWED to make a destructive idiot of myself! It took me a few minutes to calm down and realize I was still being an idiot - I was just doing it at zero MPH instead of 120. I learned it's much easier to repent of a temper tantrum than from gleefully driving yourself over a cliff, and I quickly became grateful for the enforced halt.
Impulsiveness and need-for-speed do not make a great combination. If I didn't have an ingrained respect for the rules of the road (and, OK, cops make me nervous) I'd be in a lot more trouble out there on a regular basis. The Lord doesn't often step in and yank us to a halt - instead He gives laws and signs and other kinds of traffic officers (as well as our own hearts and minds and - underused - common sense) to guide and keep us safe. If a red light comes up suddenly as I'm careening through life, maybe it's because I'm missing something important along the way, or maybe I'm heading the wrong direction when I need to take stock and try another route. I really like yellow lights when I see them from a couple of blocks away; I know that if I slow down just a little, the light will have gone to red and then back to green by the time I get there, and I can cruise on through. So if I can learn to look a little farther ahead, I might be able to smooth out the day-to-day details of living...
When I started driving, I remember my mother (yes, mother) telling me that to navigate a turn I had to look a ways out in front of the car, and NOT directly at the road immediately ahead. If I did that, the car would turn smoothly, and I'd have a better view of what was coming. Mom's a pretty good driver - I don't like her to borrow my car, of course, since she always moves the seat, but she's not bad out on the road. Her advice has served me well - and may continue to help me along my way to a more congenial relationship with stoplights. As for the timing issues - well, eventually I'll learn to suck it up and give myself a little more space... It couldn't hurt!
In conclusion: wear your seatbelt. Also, the Daughtry album is EXCELLENT.
Watch out for falling turtles,
Cyd
Meaningful phone calls I made today: 0
Ageist Facebook conversation I had today: 1 (love ya, Greg!)
Thing I did today that was stupid, yet "unavoidable": 1
Resolutions I made today: 4 (more on these later)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I like to drive fast. Fortunately, my slightly oversized Matchbox car doesn't have much gumption, so even the fact that I am a "woman driver" doesn't inspire a lot of fear. Speed is my friend and therefore stoplights are not - unfortunately, I happen to have the worst timing KNOWN TO MAN. If I'm in anything remotely resembling even the teensy-tiniest little bit of a hurry (which, let's face it, is normal for me), 98% of the lights I encounter WILL be red. Even having lived with this timing problem for years has not mellowed me to its effects - sometimes I'll gun through yellow/blushing/actually red lights just for spite, not because I really need to be somewhere. (And those timing issues apply to relationships, too... Wait, yes, that is a topic for another post. Or 50.)
So I'm out driving tonight (Daughtry CD blaring) and I'm coming up to a light, and oh! - it turned red! and I accepted the moment with a brief mental sigh rather than a spurt of blood-vessel-popping road rage (my more usual M.O. - I REALLY hate waiting). As I came to a stop, a flash of mental clarity came to me, and I spent the rest of the drive pondering a new idea. (cont. below)
(SIDEBAR: These introspective episodes seem to be happening more frequently since I started this blog - what with the whole "wanting to find something interesting to say" motivation growing, and all. Could it be that I'm finally starting to gain a better understanding of myself and those around me? Could true enlightenment be far away? Could the Blog really be such a powerful tool? *chorus: "Laaaaaaa!"* Within the next few posts, we may find out!)
(cont.) I wondered: maybe stoplights aren't such a bad thing. Sure, they choke me up and get in the way (hate waiting!), but they're also probably keeping me safe. I have been known to zone out and get distracted (I'm famous for U-turns in my family), and I do go a little too fast now and then, so it could be a good thing to be checked and slowed. That stoplight is a breather, a chance to become re-aware of my location and the other drivers around me... Without lights I might not ever get to where I'm trying to go, since I'm most often trying to so quickly get to where I want to be that I lose track of landmarks and roads and the nitty-gritty of HOW to get there. When I stop I can check the directions AND scan for street signs! Bonus!
Then I thought: maybe my life is like that, too. I hate waiting, and I hate feeling like I'm being checked up in getting to what I want to do - but when I look back I can see that if I hadn't been pulled up short on a regular basis I could be on a very different, much less pleasant, road. Case in point - (Warning: awkward confessional ahead) a while ago I found myself rushing into a situation and ignoring the yellow lights flashing madly from all sides. I knew it was stupid, and inappropriate, and unacceptable... and I didn't care. I was going in anyway. Until I came up to a red light masquerading as a brick wall - then I stopped, and threw one heckuva temper tantrum... I wanted to be stupid! I wanted to throw caution (and better judgement) to the winds, and I was mad that I wasn't going to be ALLOWED to make a destructive idiot of myself! It took me a few minutes to calm down and realize I was still being an idiot - I was just doing it at zero MPH instead of 120. I learned it's much easier to repent of a temper tantrum than from gleefully driving yourself over a cliff, and I quickly became grateful for the enforced halt.
Impulsiveness and need-for-speed do not make a great combination. If I didn't have an ingrained respect for the rules of the road (and, OK, cops make me nervous) I'd be in a lot more trouble out there on a regular basis. The Lord doesn't often step in and yank us to a halt - instead He gives laws and signs and other kinds of traffic officers (as well as our own hearts and minds and - underused - common sense) to guide and keep us safe. If a red light comes up suddenly as I'm careening through life, maybe it's because I'm missing something important along the way, or maybe I'm heading the wrong direction when I need to take stock and try another route. I really like yellow lights when I see them from a couple of blocks away; I know that if I slow down just a little, the light will have gone to red and then back to green by the time I get there, and I can cruise on through. So if I can learn to look a little farther ahead, I might be able to smooth out the day-to-day details of living...
When I started driving, I remember my mother (yes, mother) telling me that to navigate a turn I had to look a ways out in front of the car, and NOT directly at the road immediately ahead. If I did that, the car would turn smoothly, and I'd have a better view of what was coming. Mom's a pretty good driver - I don't like her to borrow my car, of course, since she always moves the seat, but she's not bad out on the road. Her advice has served me well - and may continue to help me along my way to a more congenial relationship with stoplights. As for the timing issues - well, eventually I'll learn to suck it up and give myself a little more space... It couldn't hurt!
In conclusion: wear your seatbelt. Also, the Daughtry album is EXCELLENT.
Watch out for falling turtles,
Cyd
Meaningful phone calls I made today: 0
Ageist Facebook conversation I had today: 1 (love ya, Greg!)
Thing I did today that was stupid, yet "unavoidable": 1
Resolutions I made today: 4 (more on these later)
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