"Feelin' Groovy", or Slow Down, Ya Move Too Fast

One day, as I was driving the freeway to an inspection on the east side of town, I looked over the barrier at the oncoming traffic because, of course, there was an accident.  All lanes blocked.  "Bu-hu-hu-hummer", I said out loud, while looking not at the aftermath of the accident itself, but the tragedies unfolding in every car behind that wreck.  Faces in cars whipping by me like a train, revealing the upcoming late arrivals at job interviews, or ruined lunch dates, or thoughts of doggies at home inside, desperate to relieve themselves when "mom" comes home, or a piano recital about to happen without dad in the audience, or an already rescheduled specialist doctor's appointment that will be missed…..so many cars, so many lives, so many stories, all locked up in time, stagnant on the freeway.  

This jam went on for MILES, and there was no way off for those at the front.  I kept glancing over as well as I could at 60 mph, because I wanted to see how long it went, and how the traffic was when it came upon the tell-tale stream of red lights in front of it.  Further back, cars were slowing.  Then, cars were spreading out.  Cars were lane jockeying, trying to get around the car going just the speed limit.   I could actually SEE people being mean to other people, and trying to gain the system…."WTF, you mother!  Get out of the left lane!  What, you gettin' paid by the hour?!!"….What came to me at that moment was that I, Teresa Owens, knew something about ALL of these peoples' future that they did not know…that they had no CLUE about!

Whoa!  Is this what it's like to be god?

"Hey you!  Yeah you! Passing that car at 80 mph on the right? Because you think you're going to get somewhere faster?  Guess what? "

Now, my trip had become a game of keeping my eyes on both sides of the highway long enough to be entertained by all the machinations of people trying to get "ahead" in their lives on the opposite side of the road, and yet still stay alive on my own side of the road.

I love the lessons to be learned by everyday, mundane activities.  The takeaway from this 10 minutes of my life was that it really doesn't matter who you get ahead of in life.  It really doesn't matter how clever you think you are about maneuvering your way through obstacles.  We're all on this "freeway" together, and when everything jams up, all your maneuvering is for naught.  Someone is on the other side, watching you…and laughing at how you think you are getting somewhere faster or better than someone else.

Don't worry.  We all get to our destinations soon enough.  Or later.