I dreamt I was driving in a really fast, really low slung car last night. (Similar to a DB9, but with a retractable glass roof and "beam me up Scottie" buttons.) I remembered this dream while sitting at my desk contemplating how fast the weeks seems to fly by at the moment. Each time I pull myself back into the present, another week has passed, the weekend is upon me and all I can think of is sleep. The mere thought of having to socialise, clean the house, go to gym or even go outside is to tiring to even contemplate.
So while wallowing away in my PJ's on a Saturday morning, I take solace in the fact that this seems to be the case for all my peers...
Two nights ago I bumped into friends of mine who too are taking strain under pressure of our hectic lifestyles. The fact that we were all training at 8'o clock at night, is a clear indication of our desperation to beat the flab while fighting the call to join the 6am rush which, face it, is a far more respectable hour was it not for the fact that none of us are morning people. The one thing that struck me though, was how every conversation I seem to have these days revolves around work, how busy life is and how we just don't get around to seeing everyone. As far as I am concerned, this is not a life - it's not even a semblance of a life and those who think it is, are delusional.
Yes, we might all enjoy what we are doing - we enjoy the endless parties and social events, we enjoy pioneering new territories and picking the fruits of our labour, but at what cost?
This all leads me to think that the car in my dreams is a representation of what I want to acquire in life (who doesn't want a DB9?), yet there is a need for transparency and honesty with myself (glass roof) and a blatant wake up call to prompt me to slow down.
Needless to say, a leisurely and care free road trip comes to mind. While on road trips I have often considered what butterflies experience when caught up in the turbulence created by the car that just almost cost them their life - I even do a 'butterfly caught in the slip stream' impersonation which only I seem to find funny. Naturally it occurs to me that the faster you drive the more insects you kill as they have no chance in hell to swerve in time or to even consider the possibility while on their way to where ever it was they were going to in the first place.
Now I have to ask: How many people get caught up in my turbulence? How does this affect their lives? Do I, as an individual, have the power to change the course of their lives and if I do, is it a good thing? How many of them figuratively smash into my wind shield that, because I am so busy, I don't even notice?
If I was driving slower, would there be less collateral damage?
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4 comments:
Cath, some people often question my social stance when I prefer to watch DVD's on a Friday night. All too often you'll find that you're more tired on a Monday morning, when the perpetual maelstrom of evil continues.
I love my job, no two ways about it, but it keeps me going until late at night sometimes and early mornings are non-existent. I simply cannot get myself to the office before 8 in the morning.
With this job, social events are a given, which takes up more of our time. Again, this is all lovely, but when you think about it, a 5 day weekday is but a mere myth. In fact, a 9-5 job will ensure that you'll end up with a 8 day week, with only December to take a break and recharge.
Life is quicker than ever, with a constant race to reach the top. The top of what I'm not sure though. Because every goal achieved lays the platform for another just slightly higher than your current reach.
And now I've used up another ten minutes of the busiest day of my week. :-)
And I appreciate that you took the time to comment :)
Cath, I'm finding I have the same questions at the moment. To be honest, I think that no matter what speed you drive at, you'll always wonder whether another speed wouldn't be better...
Personally, I've done two things in the last year or so to improve the road handling:
1) I've trimmed down the number of people I interact with socially down to a bare minimum (not everyone's cup of tea, I admit, I'm just anti-social anyway :-P), and started focusing on quality instead. Not quality of people, quality of time.
2) I've started forcing myself to not spend any time on urgent business matters on weekends. Only important, pro-active stuff, and ONLY if I really feel like it.
The above two things I find help keep me sane with my schedule (which I suspect is just as hectic as yours, we're both nuts!).
Oh, and I'm in the gym until 9 most nights :-) Eish!
@martin "Road handling" love that! I'm just perturbed that we need to even consider our road handling capabilities. What I am desperately trying to figure out is how to find a balance between work and play that satisfies my needs for being mentally stimulated, socially entertained and grounded all at the same time. I must admit being able to verbalise all these random thoughts have certainly helped.
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