Mindfulness at Times of Stress: On the Road

The Core Algorithm makes sure we have a sufficient grasp of an issue or problem, before embarking on a solution.  That grasp comes not just from a focused, analytic tact, but also from an intuitive, meditative state.  It is what some of us psychologists call mindfulness.  Simply being open to whatever is going on around us and within us, staying with it, and keeping our grounding and center are all being mindful.  Ideas, insights or solutions can thus arrive in logical fashion and-or as unexpected illumination in our mind.

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Oh, the some of the things I've multitasked on, while driving.  I don't think I was as bad as a couple of friends I know, but there were occasions, for example, when I would text and drive.  That was before the advent of smartphones and oversized screens, that is, when I could one-hand my flip Samsung, scroll menus, and text messages.  Eating and driving was de rigueur, too, as a time saver.  In my 20s, I used to boast that I could steer the car just with my knee, so both hands were free to do what this woman in the image was doing.

Thank God I don't do these things anymore.  Texting is completely out, and I rarely answer my mobile, when driving.  I don't eat or drink in the car as a rule, except when my wife is with me and she can unwrap, hold something, and otherwise help me and help keep us safe.  Moreover, I am mindful, too, that even without doing any such distracted thing, I can be especially preoccupied under stress.  So I've nurtured the habit of quickly but calmly double-checking corners for pedestrians before turning and also the blind spot for cars before changing lanes. 

Again I am thankful that in nearly 40 years of driving, I have had only a couple of very minor mishaps on the road.  Just four actually, two in a parking lot and two in stop-and-go traffic.  Here it is a matter of blessing and mindfulness.  For while I really find driving a pleasure, the roads can be a matter of life and death.