Entering the No Passing Zone

I got a speeding ticket a couple weeks ago.

I  was only about 500 yards from my house.

And not like I was 500 yards from getting home and got a ticket just before I got to my house.

I had just left my house.

Less than one minute after pulling out of my driveway, I was pulled over on the side of the road.

I don’t know how I even had enough time to go that far over the speed limit.

But I did.

It was a new record.

I’m much better than I used to be.

When I was younger, I had a thing for speed.

I was one of those asshole, teenage drivers who passes you whenever there’s an opportunity, whether or not there is a broken yellow line.

I was the kid driving through the parking lot causing parents to throw their hands up in the air and yell, Slow down!, and then shake their head in disapproval.

Once I had kids, I changed. But not completely.

So I wasn’t careening down the road like Danica Patrick when the cop pulled me over, but I was going fast enough.

Five minutes and over $300 later (because my registration was also expired so rather than tow my car the nice officer just wrote me another ticket) I pulled back onto the road.

$350 in speeding tickets isn’t exactly in the budget.

So since that day, I’ve eased off the gas pedal.

And since slowing down on the road, you know what has happened?

I mean, besides annoying the shit out of the people driving behind me?

Well, a couple things.

First, ironically, I’m more on time than I’ve ever been.

I used to be that pissed off person driving up the ass of the person driving the speed limit.

At first, when I was younger, it was because it was just uncool to drive so slowly.

Then, as I got older, it was partially out of habit, but also because I didn’t want to waste my time being early to anything.

And then cramming more and more things into an unrealistic period of time became a really bad habit, and I was chronically late.

To everything.

I have to drive Number 3 to school because he gets bus sick.

Last year, do you know how many times he was tardy?

Thirty seven.

Yep.

He was late for 20% of third grade.

It was usually only by a few minutes.

But still.

That’s no way to start your day. Feeling rushed.

And I am well aware how annoying that is to teachers.

Why it took me $340 in traffic tickets to finally figure this out, I don’t know.

But there is my Real Positivity Challenge for the day.

I could be pissed about those tickets.

But they forced me to slow down.

And in slowing down, I realized how easily I slip into that mindset of running around like a fucking lunatic.

Not only does that create stress for not myself but for everyone around me.

And it’s just not fun.

And it’s exhausting.

And you know what else?

I don’t spend half as much time as I used to searching for the crap that I mindlessly put down somewhere when I was pushing every single thing to the last minute..

I have cut the amount of time I spend searching for my phone and my iPod and my keys and my water bottles,

every day, over and over again,

by at least half.

I still have a ways to go.

But slowing down,

ironically,

has saved me time.

It’s actually made time for me because I’m paying attention to what I’m doing rather than running around like a fucking lunatic.

Yep.

I like slowing down.

I like taking my time driving to the grocery store.

I like sitting down in the driver’s seat and not being sweaty and out of breath.

I like being able to stroll into practice with Number 3 and 4 and actually talk to them, rather than telling them to hurry up and run!

I don’t know if it’s me getting older, or if it’s me getting wiser.

Maybe a combination of both.

Whatever it is, rather than constantly trying to find a way to blow by everyone in front of me,

I’m gonna stick in the slow traffic lane for a while and enjoy the ride.

 

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