What Driving on a Donut Taught Me
Here is the back story:
It all started on a lovely day off from work. I took my handsome dog for a walk in a nature preserve, we then proceeded to buy annuals for the garden, followed by a lunch date at a dog-friendly restaurant nearby. We were having a fabulous time. We got some exercise, and George got quite a bit of attention at the restaurant.
Picture of George for reference:
On the ride home, a truck pulled up next to me and said “Lady, you probably don’t want to drive much more- you have a huge bubble in your tire.” I had a 5 minute drive home, I decided to risk it. Boy, when I got out, I’m glad I reached my destination safely. I’d never seen such a bubble!
Picture of bubble for reference:
Luckily, this random kid I’d never seen before was aimlessly riding his bike down my street. I called him over to check out my tire. He freaked out. He made a bunch of calls and within no time a family friend was putting on my donut.
In the interim, a neighbor I’d never met came over and we struck up an interesting conversation about life ( unrelated to the donut story but I think our conversation was heartwarming and there was a sense of connectedness so I’m glad we met). People are always holed up in their houses so this was an opportunity to connect face to face.
Anywho, I texted a guy who’d been working on my car to order a new tire. It was actually time to replace all of my tires so it was fortuitous that this happened then.
Driving with the donut:
I have two modes of driving – slow grandma and bat out of hell. Driving a donut meant driving like a slow grandma 24/7. I drove on a donut for a week and it was certainly enlightening. I had to travel quite a few times on highways where the speed limit was 55 – 65 mph. On a donut I was driving probably 30 – 45 mph tops(don’t worry my blinkers were on). Driving under the speed limit was a true test of humility. I wanted to put a sign on my car that said “have patience with me, I’m dealing with a donut.”
I was always the kind of person who grumbled when there was a slow driver – now I was that slow driver! I was ashamed to look at the faces of other drivers.
Then I thought, “Forget this! This is my life, my car, my donut, and I’m going to own this experience.” It was certainly humbling to be that slow driver but it really helped with mindfulness on the road.
So often we’re concentrating on our day, thinking about conversations we had or things that need to get done. Our mind is elsewhere and when we come back to the road, sometimes it’s like “whoa how did I get here?” Or we’re driving insanely fast, swerving in and out of lanes to get to our destination as quick as possible.
I remember reading an article once about how two drivers drove across country – one at normal speed, the other speeding. The fast driver only made it to the destination 15 or so minutes ahead of the other driver. Is the stress of driving fast really worth it?
Driving as slow as molasses really helped me to relish the drive. It’s all about the journey not the destination, ya’ll! It made me appreciate all those slow drivers out there- who knows what they’re going through? Release that judgement! One day you might be that slow driver. *Gasp*
Drive safe and mindfully peeps. Have patience with fellow drivers. Take deep breaths and enjoy your journey.
