Driving Lessons

Construction season, or as people outside Michigan call it - Summer, is a time when I spend a lot of time on the road, thanks to my obsession with finding work and study places away from home. As the ETA on google maps keeps jumping, I get very philosophical driving through the traffic, potholes and construction zones.

Sharing some of my musings, I like to call them Driving Lessons:

The speed limit is 70, which means I am “allowed” to drive at 70 mph but here I am at 0 mph. I cannot increase my speed even if I want to - I am stuck and not because I couldn’t drive fast or my car won’t reach 70, but because of external factors (traffic and construction in this case). Sometimes in life we feel stuck and are not able to perform to the best of our abilities. It is frustrating when there is nothing we can do to move forward. All we can do is be patient and wait for the road to clear. Hang in there - when our time comes we can slowly gain speed and even go above the speed limit! (Not recommended :D)

Another take on this - just because we are allowed to go at 70, doesn’t mean we should - we should look at other external and internal factors and decide our speed, in order to avoid accidents.

The car behind me had its high beam headlights turned on - I spent minutes complaining about the lights and then I realized that I can simply change lanes or go slower/faster or even exit the road if it is bothering me so much. If I keep thinking why it should be me who needs to change lanes or move aside when it’s not my fault, I will only get more frustrated.

How many times do we come across a slow driver and lose patience, and while we overtake them, look out of the window to see who is driving?! Then we see an old couple in the car and feel amazed that they are out on the road driving at this age! Same thing happens when we get angry with someone, only to feel guilty when we hear their side.

Traffic signals are impartial! It doesn’t matter how fancy your car is, you have to stop at red!

Good music and great companions always make the travel more enjoyable!

Accidents can happen even when you are not at fault. You can keep blaming the other guy, but it is up to you to pick up the pieces.

Sometimes you may have to take detours, but what is important is that you reach your destination (And if you are lucky, the detours can be more scenic or more fun that the road you planned).

What are some things you learnt while driving?