It's Very Safe Riding With Me- Even When I Multi-Task

 

 

As I was driving home last night from Miami at rather high speeds, I was thinking.  You know,  I'm one of those guys who is against texting and driving for other people but think it is okay for myself.  Call me arrogant, puffed-up, overly sure of myself or whatever, but I just can't help myself.  My mind is way too restless and I am very confident that I am quite capable of doing it without any ill results.  I also Facebook, eat, talk on the phone, floss my teeth (not really) and even occasionally read (really, but very very carefully).  Sometimes I drive with my knees, so my hands are free for other important tasks, like air guitar or some other such imperative activity while listening to music at very high volumes.  Sometimes, I may close my eyes (for the shortest amount of time) to get into the lyrics more.  The lyrics are very important to me.

Once in a while, I even sleep with one eye shut and the other one as much as half-opened.  I only do this because I've heard how rest is so important for your health and I'm all about that.  I'd say I've easily driven at least one million miles in my life and still have not caused even one incident, what to speak of an accident.  Don't say that there's always a first time because that is one of the most inaccurate cliches of all time.  Is there always a first time to get Aids? How about skiing through a revolving door?  No.  You know why?  Because not everyone gets Aids or  skis through a revolving door in their lifetime- that's why.  Besides, for me, driving for five hours or more at a time just seems like a big waste of time if I am not allowed to multi-task.  

Now that we have that out of the way, I don't want to see you doing any of the things that I do.  And I sternly warn you, if I see you doing it, I'll probably call the police on you.  You know why?  Because I don't trust that you're capable of it, and I'm very concerned with other people's safety.  Sure, I myself may wander off the road once in a while, but I have the reflexes of a cat and probably twice as many lives as one.  I have absolutely no proof that you do, though.  So don't ever say that you are willing to take over the driving while I get rest.  Do you really think I would be able to sleep with you at the wheel?  You, who are so lacking in confidence to multi-task while you're driving?  No way Jose.  I feel much safer with myself at the controls, thank you very much.

In fact, it's really so safe riding with me at the wheel, that I don't think there's any need to ever wear your seatbelt.  I would advise you to, though, just in case there's a blue moon out that night and six or seven cars simultaneously make a mistake, and I'm only able to dodge all but one of them.  But don't worry, as you have probably surmised by now, I'm also a prudent guy and safety is definitely a serious issue for me.

The Serenity Prayer, Being Here Now, and Wading in the Cesspool

Yesterday, I ran over some glass and noticed a couple chunks of rubber missing from the side of my front passenger tire.  The tire is only a month or so old.  The one it replaced exploded while I was driving down I-75 a month ago.  I'm going to leave Miami around 4 pm today and hope everything will be okay during my long return back to Gainesville.

I haven't written any blogs for some time now.  My writing has mostly been feeble attempts at poetry.  I guess people live their lives in cycles, and now that I have a little time, I would like to express myself in more of a diary form.  

I don't even know what to say to describe the way I have been feeling lately.  I think one's emotional life is important enough to dedicate some words to because it is directly connected to the quality of one's overall life.  I think my basic problem is not accepting what I have to accept.  In other words, everyone has things to do in routine life that they have to do.  Not accepting doesn't just mean refusing to do it, but can also mean not putting forth one's best effort or being lethargic or unenthusiastic about it.  It can mean failing to focus and thus doing a shoddy job.  It could mean one's mind is in another place.  That one is mentally rewinding or fast-forwarding too much because they don't want to be there.  

There are a lot of causes for this phenomena, and it kind of smacks in the face of the famous serenity prayer, which of course requests god to grant the petitioner the strength to change the things one can, accept the things one can't and the wisdom to know the difference.  Sometimes we have the knowledge, but out of stubborn foolishness we don't concede.  Sometimes, we don't know what we can or cannot change and we sit in a stupor of limbo, not appreciating the life around us at the moment.  Other times, we mistake what we can change for what we cannot and surrender to the inertia as real opportunities pass us by.  Still, at other times, we have a "never say die attitude" for a lost cause and never move on with our lives.

I don't know which of the above negative stances has been affecting me more lately, but I suspect they are all acting on me to one degree or another.  The result is probably that I lack appreciation and gratitude for the situations I am being given and thus am failing to "be here now," as the saying goes.  If I was honest, I would have to admit that in nearly every category of my life, I feel like I am barely getting by and doing a sub-par job in the process, I might add.  How can you do your best job at anything if your mind is always somewhere else?

Procrastination has shown it's ugly face more than ever in my life this last month.  As the beginning of a new month is just about here, I feel it is imperative that I get my proverbial act together and start focusing on the things that I can to make my life better, as well as all the people who I have some peripheral influence on, in at least some small way.

Without getting into the details that make a piece of writing so much more interesting (sorry readers), I want to get the hell out of this current rut and start living my life again the way I am used to living it.  If it takes clawing my way out of whatever hole I'm in, then I am committed to doing it.  I have a number of ambitious plans on the agenda and I'm not going to get anywhere with them while wading in the cesspool.  Details and positive updates to hopefully follow...