On learning to drive slowly
and finding a new way for my nervous system to be in a car
Now that I have glasses, I’m enjoying real books again. Printed ones. You know. Made of paper.
I didn’t realise how much my vision had slipped.
Though I’m now quite attracted to the printed word, I still adore audiobooks. Since November I’ve been chiselling away at Tim Ferris’ Tools of the Titans.
Recently I listened to a bit where he describes the most luxurious experience to be those of slowing down and not feeling rushed in daily life.
The notion isn’t to live as though we had an endless amount of time, but that since our existence is, on a cosmic scale, very very short, that savouring time and having the means and presence of mind to find pleasure and savour moments is true luxury.
Of course, I was listening to this whilst barrelling down a twisty secondary highway along the ocean. Driving twenty kilometres per hour over the speed limit, I wasn’t necessarily in a hurry.
Instead? I was rushing. Partially because of how much I love to drive a hot hatchback. I love the feeling of going really quickly around a corner. And, partially because I always seem to move from thing to thing in a habitual rush. My nervous system is used to rushing.
When moving between things, I want to get there quickly. While moving between things, I feel urgent.
When being forced by traffic to move slowly, I feel like I’m going to crawl out of my skin.
When moving quickly between things, I feel powerful.
But I’ve been intrigued by this notion of savouring time. I’m in love with the idea of moving in an unhurried, non-busy, and unrushed way.
I’m curious about how this is going to work with my nervous system. Will I die of boredom? How will I tolerate open roads at a slow speed? How will I learn how to say ‘woah’ to myself?
With that in mind, I’ve been learning to drive slowly.
And the process for me has been even more uncomfortable than getting used to my bidet.
How do you tolerate the discomfort that comes with a big change?
It’s like the old saying goes:
Once you eat a pop tart, everything else tastes like broccoli.
A weird twist of fate made me the possessor and promoter of an E-bike.
One of the things I like about cycling is just taking my time, saying hello to other cyclists and pedestrians...
But with the E-bike, even though the top supported speed is restricted by law (25km/h) GETTING to the top speed is much faster, and there's rarely a reason to drive any slower than that, so the trips are freaking quick.
I feel only slightly guilty passing sporty bikers when going up an incline... once I passed an e-scooter guy, and rang my bell because we were going around a blind corner, and tried to explain to him that I wasn't ringing my bell for him but for some unknown oncoming traffic, he naturally just looked at me weirdly as I left him behind.
love love love leaving cars behind, hahaha, it's a city! You shouldn't need a car! How's that for a mindset?
A neighbour saw me flying up some stairs 2 at a time, as I always do, and she said "You're in a hurry", to which I responded "I just like going fast, and hey, I'm also patient!"
Usually, usually I'm patient.
I need glasses for driving, but not for reading. My eyes often tear up in the cold air at first but once that's done they're good. Wearing a mask when I'm looking for my kid in the schoolyard is an insane pain in the butt. OK, you guys must deliver me my child if my triple vaxxed self cannot find his kid due to fogged up glasses, haha! Fortunately a team of kids are always happy to tell me where mine is. Dunno if I should interpret that as popularity or infamy for my kid...