Driver or Passenger?

So this post is going to be inspired by this blog, who was, in turn, inspired by Sunday Scribblings. I'll admit, I didn't really read either in its entirety, but I didn't need to to get my mind a-working. I don't know where this post is going, but hey, I know where it came from, so who cares? Since when does this place have to make sense or have a direction, right?

Anywho, the basis of Sunday Scribblings "to provide inspiration and motivation for anyone who enjoys writing and would like a weekly challenge." Every Saturday, they post something for others to write their own blogs about, and then those bloggers can add their links to that page, and others can read what 'they' wrote. I have no intentions of doing that, though....at least not this time....but I wanted to give some background as to what the place was about so that other bloggers that stop by here can discover a new place they should visit. Sometimes it's a suggestion to write a something like a bedtime story or about something revolving around a bedtime story being read, etc.....and other times it's just a word like "morning." You take it where ever you want and there are no rules, of course. It's merely a prompt to give you a starting place.
This week's prompt was ""I don't want to be a passenger in my own life." (Diane Ackerman)."

Read that again. "I don't want to be a passenger in my own life." It's funny how many people are just that, though. My first reaction is to retort "uh, I'm not passenger...I'm the driver!" but oh how false that seems to be at times. We whine and moan about things not working out for us or things being boring or tiring or upsetting or just sucky....but we sit there and watch it happen. I can't even begin to count how many times I've said the line "well do something about it!" to someone who's merely whining in retrospect instead of taking the action to make a change. Sure, I've found myself in the same boat, but as soon as I realize this, I glance to my left, pull out my rubber bands, and attack the thing that's sitting in the driver's seat where I'm supposed to be. Sometimes it's not easy....after all, I don't always have enough rubber bands, or maybe I've tried a different method of attack, and it's not working out as well, but I 'always' get back behind that steering wheel.At the same time, though, it's not necessarily a bad thing to be in the passenger's seat either, so my second reaction to the quote was to say "but maybe I 'do' want to be a passenger." Not all the time, of course, but what's wrong with letting life chauffeur you around for a bit while you relax in the seat next to it and watch the scenery? If you're constantly speeding along, maneuvering between semi-trucks, slamming on the brakes at stoplights, and rushing off to the destination point....which is never really the 'final' destination, but merely one more in a row of many stops you'll make along the path....then sometimes you forget to look around and enjoy the mother on the street corner who is shaking her finger at a little boy and lecturing (I can guarantee you didn't notice the smirk on the kid's face either) or how the leaves are just starting to change on the trees (did you notice that the last set of squirrels born have almost reached adulthood and no longer look so scraggly?).Sometimes, there's no time for stopping and smelling the roses (sometimes, you can't even find those roses if you tried), but at least crank up the music and dance your way through. If you insist on being the driver or can't afford to sit in the passenger seat, then buckle up, don't go 'too' high over the speed limit (it's only going to cause you problems in the long run....you'll get burned out), and dance to your heart's content. Not only will you feel better and make it through your days easier, you're guaranteed to make someone else smile, too. Whether you're literally driving in your car (the others 'can' see you dancing, ya know) or metaphorically singing your way through, learn to appreciate being both the driver 'and' the passenger in your life.

(Yeah, yeah, so it turned into more of an inspirational lecture than my typical quirkiness, but hey, that's what came out....I didn't plan it. I just let the driver take me here. Sue him, not me!)

2 comments:

rachel said...

i have to admit, i'm a pretty crappy driver on both levels. i'm much more content sitting in the passenger seat, where i can just coast along doing my own thing...

12:04 AM

mvwriter said...

I believe that there is a higher power that really is in control and is the driver of my car...but that doesn't mean I'm not actively involved in my own life. There are choices a person has to make and things that they have to be willing to make...