Speedy Gonzales is dead. Or at least my inner Speedy Gonzales is.
His death was no accident, although the way I used to tear up and down the motorway one would think it had all ended horribly wrong with a head-on collision. Which of course it did, of sorts.
I am a very good driver – most passengers used to confirm this whether verbally or by simply not using the virtual foot brake that was installed for front seat passenger use. I didn’t always try to fill Speedy Gonzales’ driving shoes. I would say there was a time in my life when I was, for the most part, a responsible young driver. Driving a 3-speed ’65 Ford Mustang didn’t give me much of an option.
And then I moved to the UK… open roads and a 70mph speed limit that really was 80mph, so I viewed speeding as only taking place if I was driving over 90mph. Once I got used to driving on the right, I felt as free as a bird! I took a page out of its book (the bird’s book), and started flying. Flying down the motorway at top speed was so liberating and it made me feel invincible. The faster the better!
Or so I thought. Pondering the impact driving under such intense tension had on my body horrifies me now. The stress I put my body under took a huge toll on my health and wellbeing, let alone that of my fellow motorway drivers. And it was reflected back to me in the lengthy delays and horrendous, standstill traffic that I used to literally drive myself into.
I wasn’t an obviously rude driver who flipped other drivers off – I let my speed do that for me, leaving a trail of destructive superiority in my wake. The feeling it left me with was goooood – I was on top of the world! Until it wore off that is, which it didn’t get much of a chance to do as somehow the motorways had become a convenient friend and I found myself driving them on a regular basis. Funny that.
After my son was born I got my speeding more under control: keeping it under 90mph when he wasn’t with me in the car and closer to 70mph when he was – this was my way of weaning myself off the need for speed. I got to taste life in the slow lane and discovered that although it didn’t provide the adrenalin rush, it was also less exhausting.
My acceptance of the death of my inner Speedy Gonzales took place over time and for a while I raced his ghost. Initially, when not on the motorway, I found myself hovering above the speed limit just to where I thought I couldn’t be pulled over for speeding. Pushing my luck, y’ know? Like I hadn’t been already.
I started with the country roads and with choosing not to overtake the slowpoke ahead of me, knowing I could get my speed rush as soon as my spinning wheels hit the motorway. Driving the back roads, I got to feel what it was like to drive within range of the speed limit on a fairly regular basis. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. I had places to go! It didn’t help that for most of my life I left the house, work or wherever I was, late so there was always an underlying need for speed which conveniently kept me tearing up the roads and my pedal to the metal.
I changed jobs and the location of the new office gave me the option to take the motorway or the back roads. Much to my surprise I opted for the country roads most days and I found that these roads aren’t just made for speed, there’s scenery and beautiful skies to enjoy along the way when one isn’t gripped to the steering wheel for dear life and focused on the annoying driver in front. There were times too where I found myself actually being present as I sat in the driver’s seat, giving me the chance to lighten my grip on the steering wheel and surrender the tension in my body.
Gradually, as my driving was beginning to find a more harmonious flow on the back roads, it seemed to open up a bit of space for me to look at the pace I was choosing in other areas of my life – a ripple effect that I curiously began to notice and observe.
I found myself being able to get out of the house on time in the mornings on a fairly regular basis without much effort to do so and it seemed like no matter what time I ended up leaving, I was arriving on time or shock, horror – early even! I was beginning to find the pressure at work lifting a bit and becoming more manageable, and my days seemed to expand, as if lasting a little bit longer than before and they had a more spacious flow to them.
My world has changed considerably since the death of Speedy Gonzales and his ghost – the most amazing moment being when I felt to start taking the motorway to work again. The first few times I felt like a foreigner in a country I’d never set foot in with a stranger behind the wheel. It felt well… gorgeous. I felt gorgeous!
I found it impossible to take my vehicle above 70mph and I didn’t even feel the need to try. Instead of attacking the motorway with speed I simply continued to move and drive in the steady flow of my new alignment: doing so allows space for everything around me to constellate in such a way that in a year of choosing to drive the motorway again, not once have the roads been congested or the flow of traffic been anything but in alignment with my own.
Since becoming a student of Universal Medicine and the Ageless Wisdom, I have become much more aware of my movements and the impact they have not only on myself, but also on those around me. I chose to be oblivious to the effects my speeding had on my own wellbeing as well as those unsuspecting drivers travelling the roads with me, but now when I observe those Speedy Gonzales drivers tearing down the motorway I hold steady in knowing that was the energy I used to drive in: I get to feel this driving need for speed from a different perspective allowing me to feel and appreciate the effect one’s way of moving and driving has on others.
No judgement, no flashing blue lights, just appreciation.
By Brigette Evans, taking time to smell the roses having finally given Speedy Gonzales the boot.
Further Reading:
Driven to Distraction
Our Guide to Creation
Abiding by the Law – Driving on the Speed Limit, and Enjoying It!
When we rush, every molecule in our body moves faster. The harder we run our bodies, like any complicated device, it wears out more quickly. Why would we willingly do this?
How anxious would our bodies particles be when we race around doing speeds that are faster than would serve our bodies, and could this lead to depression and other mental disorders as we are unable to truly relax for such long periods while driving so fast?
I never considered that speeding gives the driver a rush. It gives me heart palpitations! But it highlights how they drive around in other parts of life. Understanding people helps knock out judgement.
Universal Medicine has improved every single area of my life including my driving!
Agreed SLC because Universal Medicine has supported me to improve Me beyond recognition and hence every area of my life has subsequently improved. Now I bring Who I truly Am to Life rather than who i’m really not.
Driver arrogance and the ensuing judge-ment actually meant that I would see other drivers as lesser-than and simply speed past them so thank you Brigette as this also feels like road-rage undercurrent not diagnosed before this point. So letting go of the way I used to drive is a process that I will always be able to now deepen in and have a greater understanding of being a much more relaxed driver with the consideration of the others on the road along with the decency and respect they deserve.
I have always had a Sat-nav in my car because I like boys toys. It was about speed and minimising times. There was also a time I used it for racing myself. A few years ago, there was a trip I took every Sunday that was all B roads in the country with lots of twists and turns. It was a great road for motorcycles! Because it was early evening, the road was empty, and on the way back, I would try to better my time. It had got to the point where I was only shaving seconds off my time. I had walked on thin ice far too many times and survived myself and did not harm any others when my need to race with the clock was no longer needed. That was the weekly trip and my need for speed. I still have a Sat-Nav, but now its to find my way back home after taking the path less travelled and enjoy the view.
I have a quiet giggle to myself when driving and there is someone really impatient behind me, I move out of their way so they can go past and they speed past, all important like, only to then have to apply their brakes because of the traffic in front of them … the reason I was driving slower in the first place. Driving really is an expose of how we are feeling in that moment and of course are we caring for those around us or just only think about ourselves! I can definitely appreciate my speedy gonzales is no longer and just how much more solid and steady I feel in life and also when driving.
Speed is an addictive drug that affects the user and everyone around them.
My breath changed just reading the title of this article! Remembering reading it a while ago it was like a release into space and permission not to be caught in the raciness of life.
Thank you for a beautiful blog showing how everything affects everything else. Alchemy.
I am really aware of the pace I drive my car being a reflection of the pace I am feeling in my body. When I am rushing it is when I have not considered myself or the responsibility ahead of me and have got caught up in the ‘I will just do this before I go’.
Yes. I also do the thing where I am aware I am rushing but override this and convince myself that I will just whizz through this and then settle and slow down. But of course when I arrive at that moment I have the momentum of the rush to unravel. Not so wise… and I am learning.
The other day I went over the speed limit during a journey I left late for, I could feel the rush and raciness in my body yet I pushed on through, a good lesson for me to give myself space and plenty of time.
Yes, giving oneself more time allows more space – and that really is a gift.
The more settled I feel in myself the more flow I find on the roads when I drive: The more I am in touch with the innate qualities within me the more I am in harmony with a natural rhythm of all life.
To me anytime we re-connect with ourselves and slow the rushed and racy movement of life down is a awesome thing. I really appreciate since re-connecting more with me and feeling much more solid and present in my body how the quality of my driving has changed. Who said fast was best? ….. from my experience and observation when we go fast in life with anything it is normally because we are stressed, not considering others or avoiding feeling something.
This evening I drove in medium traffic and was at ease with driving less than the speed limit rather than go over to overtake and not get caught in the rush home. I wasn’t rushing home because I was at home with myself. Was feeling sad about some things but that was ok – I didn’t have to rush home to numb out on TV or food, or just shut out the world – if that were ever possible.
I love this, instead of rushing to go ‘home’ knowing the true ‘home’ is actually within us all the time.
I love this too, Vicky and Karin. How beautifully we can be in the world when we are in full awareness that “…true ‘home’ is actually within us all the time.” It conveys the simple truth of how being truly at ‘home’ is being at one with the All.
Love this, Vicky, Karin and Brigette. Our true home is indeed inside us
Being late can be a hard habit to break, I know I still find myself being late even when I know the consequences it can bring.
I find that when I am in a hurry, not allowing more space before I depart for work I find I get all the red lights, get caught up in traffic, feel the need to rush & put my foot on the pedal so as not to arrive late. I then feel annoyed because I usually arrive at work 5- 10 mins late & then for the rest of the shift I am in nervous energy & feeling racy.
However, lately I have been trying to leave home earlier and the experience is so different. I hop in my car with gentleness, my driving is more flowing and calm- I stick to the speed limit. I find I don’t get all the red lights & even if I do I am reminded to take the stop moment to feel my body and come back to me. I arrive on time. I walk in with authority and grace. I am open and cheerful; I greet everyone with an open-heart and enjoy every connection I am constellated with- there is purpose.
I love feeling the way you describe the two very different ways you can end up at work’s doorstep, Loretta, and the contradictory ways your shift unfolds as a result. Awesome.
Having an attitude that we need to allow all our destructive and non-loving behaviours to RIP – now that is evolution.
The racy energy we have to align to so we can drive at super fast speed instead of the speed limit sets us up to also be racy in our day.
I agree, Gill – the difference feels very obvious. Even on the few occasions when I haven’t given myself enough time and I feel myself going in to a rushing energy, I pull myself up on it and step to the side to let it pass. What giving myself plenty of time has taught me is that no other energy is worth leaving the self loving I have come to know. So those few moments I have found myself out of time as it were, I bring myself back and embrace the opportunity to stay present and stay connected to my self love. In doing so I go into observation and watch the magic happen as space unfolds before me and I move away from time and so the hold it started to have over me.
Having the commitment to respect and honour the communities we live in, is certainly a step forward in our evolution.
Yes, we have no right to judge others when driving fast is or has been a part of our lives. It makes observation the norm when we have this understanding.
I am amazed still by how even adjusting the speed of my car by a few miles or kilometres per hour makes a big difference to how my body feels when driving. It is a very real and physical experience.
I’ve noticed that there’s only ever a rush on when someone somewhere in the equation hasn’t taken responsibility. So someone’s ended up in a predicament, not wanted to accept their part in it, panicked and ran for help. Help see the situation and the consequences and try to rush for a ‘favourable’ outcome, the person receiving the support gets the relief of it being sorted and goes out to repeat the same situation.
All my life I’ve tried to save people from the consequences of their choices because I’ve not been able to handle this tension: the tension before the fall. What I’ve not appreciated is the grace that can follow when we do learn the lesson and the love we can bestow upon ourselves to never repeat our follies.
This is so gorgeous what you have shared here, Karin. ‘….there’s only ever a rush on when someone somewhere in the equation hasn’t taken responsibility.’ I can feel the truth of this in every bone in my body. Yesterday I was heading home from work earlier than usual; it was overcast so cars had their headlights on yet it was light enough that I could see traffic clearly in my rearview mirror. Ahead of me and around me the motorway traffic was clear, flowing and spaced beautifully. What I saw in my rearview mirror was the exact opposite. A few hundred yards behind me it was like there was an invisible line drawn across the motorway keeping the traffic behind me at bay, and it looked like there were hundreds of headlights all bunched together. Feeling into the energy of the congestion behind me felt like the energy I used to race around in and I know that I would have been one of the ones stuck in that congestion years ago. The picture is a very different one for me now as I am choosing responsibility in all areas of my life and the effect of choosing responsibility is being reflected back to me in moments such as this – quite a dramatic confirmation of the consequences of choosing and taking responsibility versus not doing so.
Its so confirming when we realise how much our behaviour has changed. Witnessing others in a pattern that used to be my own enables me to bring an understanding rather than judgment too.
This new way of driving feels so much more relaxing and nurturing for your body, ‘Instead of attacking the motorway with speed I simply continued to move and drive in the steady flow of my new alignment: doing so allows space for everything around me to constellate’.
I love the shift in feeling in your blog Brigette, from one of speeding down the highway to one of appreciating the the scenery along the way, such a great metaphor for the way we move though life.
I too edge into the zone of going a little to fast at times, and find that by leaving things until the last minute puts me into a state of rushing just to be there in time. What I can also feel is how this rushing can flow on and impact my entire day too.
I too can feel how this rushing can flow on and impact my next movement, Chris. The immediacy of it can be mind blowing and it feels like once the rushing has set in, it opens me up to reverting back to that old energy and before I know it I am judging the other drivers on the road or looking to overtake the car ahead of me which, in order to do so, would mean speeding just for the sake of overtaking. I have become much more adept at calling this energy out before it takes hold but it is a constant process of refinement.
“Speedy Gonzales is dead.’ And your version of him certainly needs to be, as does it for all of us. To tear up the countryside for so called enjoyment, putting communities at risk – yes the time for a good burial is at hand.
I have spent a lot of my life driving on cruise-control, driving just to the maximum that is the posted speed plus 5%. It was a game to see how late I could leave it and still arrive on time. With the advent of Sat-navs came the racing against time, to the same location to beat your own score. It is a game you can never win. Today I use space that doesn’t have time in it.
To be on time as in in rhythm with the pulse of the universe is to be on the direct path home.
Hear hear, LE. Remembering what it is like to be on, and returning to, the direct path home is the most awe-some feeling. It is simply a matter of aligning and being ‘in rhythm with the pulse of the universe’ which brings it all back to the choices we make – are our choices in harmony with the rhythm of the universe, or not?
LE on reading your comment I could feel the absolute synchronicity and harmony of being ‘in rhythm with the pulse of the universe’ and I could also feel the discordant twang when we are not.
Brigette your blog is a great example of how when we change one part of life and establish a more self loving and supportive quality in the way we do things, it then flows into other areas of life.
I love this too. Making changes in just one area affects the whole. Despite knowing how interconnected we all are this still surprises me.
There are moments when I really enjoy an open road and a bit of speed. I feel like I am giving myself permission to be strong and unafraid to move forward. There are other times when there is a raciness in the way I drive that does not feel settled on the road and these are the moments for a quiet, honest review about what is going on.
I know what you mean Matilda, there are days when I feel very confident and solid when on the road and then there are the days when I feel as though I have to watch out more for others and can’t wait to get to my destination. I agree it does offer an opportunity to evolve.
Yes, if its early morning and the road is empty I can enjoy driving at speed, (this is rare in the UK). However, I am aware if a raciness tries to creep in, which feels horrible, and so choose to stay with my quality and my speed is secondary.
I have also noticed that my body feels much more relaxed and at ease when I am driving at the speed limit.
Wow what a turn around Brigette, amazing to clock how much our movements whether in a car or on land so to speak impacts us and all those around us.
Driving in harmony with the car, road, traffic and yourself feels as if you are flying and your feet are still on the ground with the road open and flowing in-front of you!
Haha! I love this, Greg. I totally agree that ‘driving in harmony with the car, road, traffic and yourself feels as if you are flying and your feet are still on the ground….’ It absolutely is flying with your feet still on the ground; flying not at speed, but in a manner that is in consideration of self and all others on the road in such a way that space opens up and flight takes place because of space rather than speed.
I am finding that if I maintain a feeling of spaciousness then I seem to get an incredible amount done as opposed to closing down the space by being in a rush to finish things and yet not getting as many things done and the things that I do manage to do are done rather tattily.
Slowing down whilst maintaining a focus in all aspects of life feels great… not just when driving in the car!
I used to think being quick, speedy and sharp was it – today I realise that none of these expressions are worth an iota without my amazing love being present in it all. Focusing on quality of movement, connection to self and others, being light hearted and present brings a delicious silkiness to every thing and who wants to rush that?
Could it be that we are all rushing around being quick, speedy and sharp because just under the surface we are feeling how empty and meaningless rushing around is without our amazing love being present in it all? Are we wanting to get through in a rush in an attempt to get through the utter meaninglessness we feel only to bump into it again as we round the next corner or get stopped at the next traffic light? Once I started to feel the delicious silkiness as you so eloquently express it, Rowena, I wanted to stay with it and I began to feel how the minute I started going back in to rushing, it took me away from this delicious silkiness – not just in the car on the road but in all aspects of life.
Yes, you have to feel what you could feel like to clock when you are not feeling that. Then there is more of a pull to change patterns of behaviour that are not supporting you.
It is crazy how we put ourselves under pressure by leaving home late and no surprise that when we are rushing/speeding that we encounter traffic jams etc. Allowing myself the space to leave in good time I am constantly amazed at how I never get held up and often arrive early – so much more pleasant way to start the day and this is reflected in everything that follows.
Yes. A simple and life changing approach to life. Making space for ourselves rather than battling with time.
Yes, it’s funny but now when I have a lot to do and contemplate picking up the armour ready to go into battle I keep coming back to, it really isn’t worth it. Like I don’t get more done I get stressed and have to take longer breaks. Reminds me of the hare and tortoise fable but where I get so much more completed when I’m not wasting time thinking about all I’ve got to do.
We don’t just put ourselves under pressure, we also place ourselves (and others) into danger because of the speeding.
Has anyone noticed how driving faster than we feel equipped to do can cause a huge anxiousness in the body? Some days there is this solid confidence and then others there is this uncertainty. Driving is a great reflection.
When we drive too quickly we don’t have time to read the road conditions, everything that we pass on the way or is happening at the side of the road. This shows us that this is our approach to life too, that we are trying to speed everything up so as not to be able to read all that is happening and that is presented to us as it comes to us.
Bringing our driving back to a reflection of how we are living life is taking full responsibility for our every movement. I love how you are reminding us of the beauty and power of reflection, Michael.
So true, everything is a reflection and we can either be engaged with that or blindly bluster through it missing all the gems of communication that are on offer to us.
” I simply continued to move and drive in the steady flow of my new alignment: doing so allows space for everything around me to constellate ”
Its sort of funny knowing that harmony is all around us we just need to re-connect to it.
I used to love zooming around the place until I was involved in a road traffic accident. Then the speed at which I used to drive terrified me. I had this huge arrogance that nothing could touch me when driving in my car, but suddenly I had been shown that I was even more vulnerable. A superb lesson that enabled me to really appreciate the responsibility we have to everyone including our selves when we drive.
I can relate to ‘this huge arrogance that nothing could touch me when driving my car…’, Rowena. It’s like being inside a metal box on wheels has us convinced that we are immortal. What I have found since stepping out of this energy of arrogance is that I can feel this arrogant energy in others now as they speed by feeling invincible. With every speeding driver racing past me, my appreciation for having stepped out of that energy deepens.
RIP Speedy, and RIP the arrogance of thinking that the car driver owns the road. Thank God for that!
Every road trip is an amazing opportunity for review. How we get into our cars, how present we are on the road, how aware we are of the way others are moving and how much we let ourselves enjoy the drive.
I am coming to understand this more and more, Matilda, that even ‘routine’ movements such as getting into my car, how I close the car door and how I walk away from my car at the end of every road trip all have an impact on my being and my time on the road. The more conscious I become with every tiny little movement, the more spacious my day is and the less I see of speeding cars, tailgating and road rage. Changing the way I am on the road has resulted in a complete change in what is reflected back to me confirming how loving the changes have been.
My inner metabolism has been much more speedy recently as I have found myself falling into periods of rushing at work in order to keep on top of things. That feeling of being sped up on the inside is awful. It feels like I’m being pulled inwards and tightened (which physically I am).
It is quite incredible to be able to relinquish behaviours that are so ingrained we see them as an inseparable part of our selves, yet this example demonstrates that when we do, we open the door to a much wiser and simpler way to live life.
If you don’t feel the natural grace of God you are bound to seek something else to make your day. The added bonus of speeding is it seems to take us away from the things we don’t like in life. The irony is whenever we stop which we must do one day is it is all there waiting for us to deal with. We go 100km per hour down the street only to be confronted still with everything from which we tried to escape.
Absolutely, Joseph. As human beings we have this arrogance that we can get away with pretty much anything we want to get away with either because no-one is watching or it’s not a criminal offence that we can be incarcerated for. We have taken the get out of jail free card that can bring a good laugh during a game of Monopoly and applied it in all seriousness to real life – a bit like the confessional box in the catholic church. All sins are forgiven once we say our hail mary’s and our father’s and we walk out the church door knowing full well we will continue sinning without a care as the confessional box will be there next Sunday and the next. So arrogant have we become that we then wonder why our health is failing, we break a bone or the cancer is spreading as we question how this can be happening to us when we are such ‘good’ people.
‘And it was reflected back to me in the lengthy delays and horrendous, standstill traffic that I used to literally drive myself into.’ life and our Soul will make us stop when we are living in excess motion and or in disregard of the natural rhythms it is comprised of.
Speed up starts in our body and then it permeates everything we do
This morning I drove for about 5 hours across the UK. Usually I would find my speed creeping up but this morning found it to be settled contently at the speed limits – possibly to do with the recent need to book a speed awareness course however it offered me a feeling of being surrendered to the pace of life coming to me rather than trying to take control and speed it up.
Great reminder, Michael, of how vastly supportive it feels in ‘being surrendered to the pace of life coming to me….’. When we allow ourselves to be surrendered to the pace of life coming to us we conjoin the flow of our Soul enabling harmony and rhythm to permeate our every moment and movement.
Michael as I sit here about to go into a job that I have been doing for just one week your words feel very supportive. There were times last week when I sped up to a rather frantic pace in an attempt to work through my gigantic work load. Today I will take your words ‘surrendered to the pace of life coming at me’ into work and I shall be them to the best of my ability.
I genuinely love to not rush, although at one time that’s all I seemed to do. Now I really feel the negative impact this has on my body when I do go into that rush, drive and push. What was once normal now feels pretty awful.
Same here, Rachel. The negative impact rushing can have on my body now that I have lived without it for a number of years makes me feel physically ill as well as leaving me feeling depleted and drained. The beauty and harmony that has replaced the rush and stress I used to live my life in is not worth forsaking. I make it a daily choice to continue aligning to the energy of stillness and harmony – it is as much a part of my morning routine as cleaning my teeth and making my bed.
Me three. Recently our shower has been out of action which means having a bath in the morning instead. This is something I would normally never do but i’m really loving it. It brings a different quality to the start of the day and how I am with me and brings a steadier pace to my day. It is quite beautifull … so no rushing.
Driving within the limits is such a joy and always delivers us on time, so how we choose to drive is super important so we end up in any location well before required and still connected to our stillness. So is it any wonder they call it racy?
This is a very interesting read as someone who does a lot of driving even though I leave in plenty of time there is always this anxiousness of having to get there. Very interesting I’m already ahead of myself without being with myself!
However fast we go we can’t ever escape ourselves.
I am loving this, Alexis. ‘However fast we go we can’t escape ourselves.’ It sure hasn’t prevented us from trying though!
Beautiful how when we choose to lovingly address a pattern of behaviour in one area of our lives, it has this gentle ripple effect that washes over everything we do, gradually transforming the quality of our daily lives beyond recognition.
What is it we are avoiding when we exceed the speed limit? The possibility to feel everything as it is offered on our journey perhaps? and rather speed through it so that it is missed.
Just made the connection between driving a car with speed and eating. How often do we eat in a hurry, do not take time to savour flavours (take in the scenery) and have conversations with loved ones? How often do we just want to finish the plate of food, get from A to B in the shortest time and not really pause to enjoy the journey? What if we treated each mealtime as divine, an opportunity to give thanks, bless the food we’re about to eat, treat it respectfully and be present with ourselves. This takes food and mealtimes to another level: not only for our benefit, the imprint we leave is there for others to also feel and savour.
It’s all about preparation, when and how we wake up and get ready for the day, impacts on how we are when we get behind the driver’s wheel. Everything is energy and related: one platform sets us up or down for the next. Either speed and restless drive or flow and responsibility for self and other road users. The later usually gets me where I need to be with ease and plenty of time to spare.
‘Everything is energy and related: one platform sets us up or down for the next.’ Wise, wise words, kehinde2012. How different our world would look if we were taught this simple logic from a young age or rather, if we were allowed to stay connected to this energetic law from birth.
Speeding without consideration of all others is just a part of a game to be less than who we are.
Appreciation is very powerful, it takes us to our Divinity
Taking ourselves back to our Divinity is the journey of all journeys. Every journey we take in our car is an outer reflection of the inner journey back. How are we driving our vehicle?
Getting up earlier and leaving the house earlier, allows for good time. When I find that I have plenty of time there is no anxiety, rush or stress in my body. I actually enjoy my journey and feel good too!
It’s not about getting from A to B but quality of the journey. Beautiful to allow ourselves to enjoy the ride is a beautiful gift we give ourselves.
Well this is a refreshing read – I definitely speed on the motorway. It’s often about getting there quickly as opposed to the journey itself. Some great food for thought.
Enjoying the journey is something I have come to appreciate more than speeding itself……have fun exploring the difference, Nick.
As driving has become a regular part of our lives, I wonder whether we actually clock the impact of the stress and the strain on our precious bodies, engendered by the way we drive. Driving fast, driving in the city, driving on a country lane all have their share of stresses – you really don’t want to encounter a wandering cow around the next corner – but if we are disconnected from ourselves as we drive, the chances are our bodies are copping the consequences in a variety of ways, from clenched jaw, to clenched hands, shallow breathing; the list is rather long.
I absolutely can rely on the exhaustion part when driving too fast. And it took a while to allow myself to feel that my body do not love this exhaustion at all. Therefore I love your sharing how you discover that speedy gonzales is for you not needed anymore. It is a good example that it is possible to change our lives without missing something very dearly but finding something what is so much more supporting and nurturing instead.
Yes, Ester – who would have thought that driving within or under the speed limit can actually be supporting and nurturing? But it is, once you step out of the raciness and drive and approach the road with presence and appreciation.
It’s great to appreciate the opportunity for flow and order to be felt and observed when driving and the reasons we may be choosing to avoid this.
The thing about time I discovered is that the more you race it, the more it simply keeps pace with us. If we speed up, so does it. When we turn our attention to space however, it is a different matter. The more we make space for space, the more there is to enjoy.
A super cute story about honesty and developing awareness. Thank you Brigette.
Learning to drive in a car with 125mm tyres that were bald and on oily roads made driving an adventure when it rained but one did learn how a car would handle in these wet conditions. Applying this to life with a few principles that is showing others decency and respect then the simplest of things to the most difficult situation we are able to handle these situations and not get crossed up or in reaction. And when we add the Universal Medicine presentation the road becomes clear and the way forward simple.
Speed and rushing can come into every aspect of our lives, so I am sure that when we speed in our cars that raciness does not stop once we get out of the car.
Very good point, Julie. Once we choose to align to the rushing and speeding energy on the road, it permeates all areas of our lives and when the raciness we are racing around in drops, we reach for the chocolate or coffee or biscuit. It’s a vicious cycle that keeps us running on the treadmill of life, one we don’t seem to be able to step away from having lost sight of the fact that as well as the ‘up’ button to make the treadmill go faster, there is a ‘down’ button to slow us to a pace that allows us to find our own natural rhythm. For those who refuse to notice the slow down button, there is the big red ’emergency stop’ button that gets pressed for us when we time and again ignore the less drastic messages we are given that it’s time to take a look at the pace we have been racing around in.
I love the offering in this blog as it is something we can all relate to. How I leave my home, get in the car affects how I drive and all I move in through-out the day – everyone is affected
I’ve had a few people crash into me whilst I’ve been stationary, I’ve crashed into someone who pulled out rather than stopped (I watched them see me, pause to stop and then suddenly pull out) so I’m very aware how energy rules the roads. Technically none of these collisions were my fault but I’ve realised I need a steady presence to drive and in how I live my life because the two are so related. Driving is an area the consequences are least of all dangerous, and potentially life threatening or life changing as they describe it. There’s no escaping karma, ‘good’ or ‘bad’ as how we live has consequences.
This is a beautiful reminder of how we use our car is a reflection of how we use our body. Is it with raciness and drive or absolute stillness and ease?
It comes down to less about speed and more about responsibility.
From my experience, I have found speed is directly related to the nervous system. If I am wound up and racy then I will manifest that in my driving. If I have space and flow then that is what I will manifest. I have tried to pretend it is not like that but never seem to be smarter than the Universe!!!! So humble pie and surrendering to addressing the raciness of my nervous system is the priority.
Life offers us so many opportunities to learn and being humble is a great way to stay open to these.
To have this understanding without having to have a major crisis in life is a gift to the whole community because nothing happens in isolation. If a crash only involved one car there is still a ripple effect on the people who have to attend the crash site, the family of the person involved in the crash, the people who then support them….we think we are alone, that we have the right to free will and to do what we want, but if we stop to consider the consequences of what we do and the ripple effect it doesn’t take long to realise there is nothing we do that does not affect another.
Adrenaline becomes the name of the game when we continually go over the speed limit and I am finding that it is no longer worth the way my body feels after a super fast fix.
It feels quite exhausting really setting off at high speed at the start of the day because it feels like the pace is then set for the entire day, which over time can only result in a complete burnout.
So true Rowena, the energy we choose to run with throughout our day doesn’t just show itself at our workplace or home, it moves us throughout our day. When we align to an energy that is reckless and disregarding this can be felt in our movements.
I love the expression when referring to driving as ‘going no where fast’ because it’s so apt when there’s traffic on the roads. I’ve overtaken people in hurried frustration to get home and then got stuck behind someone further up the road. Now I’m much more able to stay with myself and feel what I’d been trying to avoid by getting home to do stuff that’ll distract me from whatever I’m wanting to avoid. There’s nothing like being asked to slow down to feel the resistance to surrender I’m feeling!
I do like the motorways in Germany where at some places you can drive as fast as you can. As I am not experienced with speeding I can feel that, although my car can do faster and my spirit would like that too, I limit the speed to what I can handle with my body. And that is still always a lot faster than I am allowed to drive in the Netherlands where I live. So still lots of fun for me.
Driving is a reflection of ourselves just like the rest of life. We can dress it up as something different, we can see it as a mode of transport, a way of getting from place to place, a time to chill out, accelerate, unwind, listen to music, phone a friend, dictate to Siri, organise our handbag, do our make up, eat lunch, file our nails at traffic lights but all of these things are reflections. Absolutely everything that we do and the way that we do it says something about us.
I love my time driving. It is an opportunity to observe the world we have chosen to live in.
Having regard for ourselves and everyone else on the road is very much needed- we all use the roads to travel on, one way or another, so having a care is necessary.
It’s easy for us to think that we are not having relationships with others when we are in our cars by ourselves but we are communicating constantly and not just with those that we are sharing the road with but with every other person on the planet. We can’t ever switch off that communication, we are terminals for communication, even in our sleep.
Absolutely, Ariana. Interestingly, I observe that when we get into our cars we have a ‘bubble’ like mentality and especially when in a rush, late for where we need to get to, we loose that regard for ourselves and others.
Life is one inter-connected whole, it’s just us that portions it up into sections. We switch from one environment to the next, thinking that we are leaving one place behind and entering another but this simply isn’t true. There is no division between one environment and the next, there are no ‘sectors of society’ that exist independently from the rest of society, we are not truly able to close ourselves off to certain people and open ourselves up to others. Our world is one big whole and we are a constant stream within that whole, the question is ‘what are we constantly streaming?’ because we’re always either streaming God or What is Not God, they’re the only two options available to us.
Going over the limit just to realise that we are only saving a couple of minutes as we arrive to our destination is not worth it. But even if we were saving a lot more time, what would it be in comparison to save our own life or other peoples lives?
Yes, whenever I get impatient and move from that frustration I always get a reflection that everything was as it should be, like a red light where the car I overtook is sitting right beside me! Surrendering to the flow means I get where I get when I am meant to get there, not just for me but for everyone else as well.
Surrendering to the flow brings us back into co-creation where time does not exist and everything including traffic constellates to Divine order. The car we overtake that ends up sitting right beside us at the red light is The Hierarchy’s great sense of humour reminding us to bring ourselves back into alignment with Divine flow.
Driving, as you have shared Brigette, is a superb reflection of whether or not one is with the flow, in co-creation, and the Gentle Breath Meditation™ is a masterful tool to enable that re-connection if one is not in harmony with the flow.
Brilliant Alexandre, this is something we should all consider the safety of ourselves and others should always be top priority but in reality, it often is not the case.
The reason why thoughts about the safety of others ‘isn’t often the case’ is because thoughts and actions come in packages. Therefore often the actions that we do which are reckless are not accompanied by thoughts about the care and safety of others.
I love how the switch of focus from motorway to back road enabled you to appreciate the world around you as you travelled to work, an experience then that can be taken into the whole day and home again.
As I begin to feel the consequences such as the exhaustion and the sadness of driving not honouring the body let alone sensing the impact this has on my fellow drivers I am beginning to be more consistent driving at ease and with my body. It is work in progress but when I am listening and responding I so appreciate my every move I am making and have made.
Me too, Caroline. It’s the little things that I am noticing now that the tension of speed has been addressed. Like using my indicator to move into another lane on the motorway; one of the bells and whistles on my previous car was the moving-lanes-mode where the indicator automatically flashed three times then shut itself off so I could continue driving completely unaware. In my current car, an older car, I have to physically turn my indicator both on and off and as I began appreciating the presence this kept me in, I began to play with when the right time was for me to turn my indicator off once I had changed lanes. Not surprisingly, I now turn my indicator off only once I am fully in to my new lane with the direction of the car in alignment with the lines of the lane. The sense of completion I get when doing so feels amazing!
There’s no denying that when we are in a rush everything on the roads appears to be trying to slow us down. You get all the red lights, people just happen to pull out in front of you so fast and then suddenly decide to go slower than the speed limit or you encounter every bus, garbage truck or learner driver. In those moments maybe it’s time to heed the message.
I have spent my time living life in the fast lane. That included burning the candle at both ends, but the candle that burns twice as bright lasts half the time. I now try to savour every moment where time doesn’t exist.
Life in the fast lane. I agree, Steve, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
Great to read your article Brigette. I have also noticed how much more enjoyable driving is when I do not speed. I used to live in a big city and got used to rushing around, my body was always tense in the car and I felt very emotional and would have arguments or beep the horn at other drivers. This was a very exhausting and unenjoyable way of being on the roads. I now love to allow plenty of time to get where I need to, I also do not react to others drivers and don’t beep my horn at them, I find I am more relaxed and less tired when driving.
I have also experienced the flow when I am connected and what happens if I am not, as a reflection to how I am living. I have gone from living in the countryside and now reside in a huge city. I enjoy driving in the chaos, to observe the madness around me that at one time, I was a contributor. Now, it is a constant reminder of how far I have come.
It’s an odd thing how we, as a society have come to seek experiences that produce adrenaline in the body. We drive fast, have risky sex, go on terrifying rides at theme parks, watch scary films and get over excited at sporting games etc. We have come to say that we love the feeling of adrenaline in our bodies but if any of us was sitting in a quiet room, connected to the feeling in our bodies and then a shot of adrenaline was administered to us, we would freak out at just how awful it felt.
I agree, Alexis. It’s actually quite shocking the lengths we will go to in order not to feel the lovelessness within that we cannot escape. We can delay, try to out-race, out-run and check-out until the cows come home but eventually the cows do come home. It’s up to us whether we have the barn ready and welcoming or if they have to come stampeding back.
What I have noticed recently when I have been rushing to get things done at work, is that I haven’t been able to fully engage with my fellow workers because I have felt too focused on what I am doing and whether I am going to get it all done in time. As a consequence my interactions with people have been shallow, fleeting and have had no quality to them at all. The depth and potential evolution that I know is possible when two people get together has been no where in sight. Yes I have just about managed to get through my duties but what have I really contributed to my workplace other than everything done in a disconnected rush.
Whenever I am in my car I have the opportunity to connect more deeply with myself and with any other passengers in the car, and whenever I am engaged in driving on the road with other drivers I have the opportunity to pay attention, observe and deepen my level of interaction in life. But when I am being the Speedy Gonzales my attention is hijacked to an altogether different game.
A couple of speeding tickets and invitation to attend a speed awareness course , which I did, brought home to me the dangers of speeding and made me aware of speed restrictions on local roads. Since attending the course, I am a much more conscious and aware driver, knowing that it is not just my safety that’s at stake but other road users as well.
It’s great to highlight the ripple effects of disorder in our lives and how it can affect the quality and speed of driving. When we get up late, leave things to the last minute or later, then jump into a car we’re already in a rush and this accelerates when we switch on the engine. Making space to prepare for our day, means we leave our homes, we do so feeling still and harmonious within and this becomes the way we drive our cars.
I love driving. It is a time for me to really be with my body. I like to feel details about my body whilst I interact with my car, the feeling of my hand on the gearstick, my wrists as I hold the steering wheel, the feeling of my pelvis in the chair. I’m a pretty slow driver but find myself very reluctant to go any faster, the pace feels very fitting for my body.
I feel one of the key things you have shared here Bridgette is the word surrender and I can really relate to this in if we are tense aka late for something, how our body tenses up and how this can affect our driving. It gets rushed, jolty, stressed and faster. But if we surrender our body sinks, relaxes, comes back to our breath and when we are in this it is impossible but to feel the beauty and not be rushed, stressed or drive fast. Our connection to our body is everything and has a ripple effect in all we do, including driving.
Feeling the energy of impatient people speeding up behind is something we can’t miss. We often see them on the motorway making erratic movements and putting other peoples’ lives in danger. They may be confident in their ability to drive, but not everyone has the same reaction times and confidence on the motorway.
We can all also feel anger, frustration, irritation and impatience in the way that people use their horn. Conversely the horn can be used in a very gently ‘toot toot’ kind of a way and then it’s easy to feel the non imposing way that people are communicating e.g it feels as if people are saying ‘could you move a little further forward please, so that I can slip past’.
It can feel intimidating to have a driver rush up behind you… you can feel the thought of the driver…’get out of my way’. There is an arrogance to this. Sadly, I know there have been times when I have felt impatient because I was in a rush… it’s good to feel the honesty of how I have affected others too.
Amazing how invincible we can feel inside our car streaking down the motorways, with zero appreciation of what this leaves behind us, a trail of arrogance that how we move and the speed we move at never affects anyone else. Thank you Brigette for exposing the harm done when we isolate ourselves from all the other road users.
I love your blog and I love the way you write. Even your ‘about you’ bit at the bottom is interesting, detailed and fun. I used to be a speedy gonzales without even realising it years ago when I had an automatic. It would feel like I was going slow yet I was way over the speed limit which resulted in me getting 9 points on my licence in under 3 months!!!! Thankfully all cleared now and of course where was I to even not recognise I was speeding ‘not present with me’ – now I love driving within the speed limit and my body feels just as solid and steady as my car ✨
I can relate to a lot of what you are saying here Brigette. It has usually been a case of how far and fast can I push things before I get caught. Thankfully, this has been changing over the past few years, but your blog has been a timely reminder to me of how important it is to not lose sight of the huge difference I can feel in my body between the two ways of living.
I can so relate and appreciate your choice of words, as in leaving a trail of superiority behind. The tension in my body was overwhelming, gripping the steering wheel and looking far ahead as I used to travel close to 200km/h on the motorways of Germany, France and Belgium. But I did not let myself feel it then and it has taken a long time until I learnt to appreciate the space and constellation offered when there is no haste, no superiority, no flipping off and no tension in my body.
‘…no matter what time I ended up leaving, I was arriving on time or shock, horror – early even!’ When we leave space and time to get somewhere the need to speed seems to evaporate.
When we are with ourselves time seems to dissolve, whether on the road or generally in life. Space opens up and we arrive where we are needed.
I have pondered about speed quite a bit and I feel the question is not so much about the speed as such but how much I enjoy myself in every moment and how aware I am of my surroundings and the space there is.
A gorgeous read as always Brigette and a very insightful documentation of how we can through focusing on the quality of our movements, instigate enormous change throughout our lives just by tackling one aspect of how we move.
There is a distinct feeling in the body when we push the car over what the body wants to drive at, and then there is a tension and a hardness that comes in. So, it’s understandable that if we leave late and try to make up the time on the roads, the body will cop it.
I remember having to get somewhere about 120 miles away by 1500. I left work at 1230 and bombed it down the motorway. I never like to speed but I did 80 mph almost the whole way. I got there at 1459 shaking from head to toe from the tension in my body. It was a boiling hot day as well and I’m surprised my car didn’t pack in. I had never done that before and never plan to again!
So glad you’ve killed your inner Speedy Gonzales. I know how it feels to have a restless speeding driver either on my tail gate or whooshing past in a flash. The way we drive really does impact on others, staying aligned to self and driving within speed limits is not just safe, it brings harmony to roads and is a mark of being a responsible driver.
To live in the energy of Speedy Gonzales is to force oneself through life rather than living ‘at one’ with the life.
It always comes back to the consequences of our behaviour upon the body and upon the community we live in.
” Pondering the impact driving under such intense tension had on my body horrifies me now. The stress I put my body under took a huge toll on my health and wellbeing, let alone that of my fellow motorway drivers. ” Do we ever consider the impact we may have on our fellow drivers/ citizens? rarely I would say. The stress and tension we put ourselves under when we are running late and then rush becomes more obvious when we stop, when the adrenaline buzz fades.
We each have an impact on the traffic and we can either set a new standard or join if not up the ante on the frenzy and chaotic pace, winner takes all kind of chase around us.
I can so relate to being a speed merchant earlier in my life. I collected a few speeding tickets and was always in a rush and behind myself. These days I rarely speed on the motorway and leave sufficient time to get to places. preferring to arrive early. There is far less tension and when I do find myself running later I hate the tension and anxiety I can feel in my body.
This is a perfect way to phrase it, Sue, ‘I was always behind myself.’ The image this conjures up is not only what it used to look like for me but what it felt like too. I used to project a lot of blame in that this was the way my mother always lived her life and so it was her fault for having never taught me how to organise my life and how to be on time hence why I was always behind myself. Starting to take responsibility for my choices – including my choice to blame others for what was lacking/not working in my life – has been a real turning point for me, as has choosing to arrive early without rushing or racing. The knock-on effect of living with far less tension in my body has created the space to live my life from the perspective of observation and curiosity rather than taking everything personally and absorbing everything coming at me.
To drive at a speed that supports myself has an enormous impact on my body. I feel with my body as I check in with my shoulders and arms letting go of any tension in the body. I am noticing that in every movement I rush and that includes driving, the consequence of exhaustion afterwards is palpable that now it is simply not worth it. On most occasions the feeling of being with my body in the car is just too good.
Such a great reminder about the effects of rushing Caroline. I have recently changed jobs and spent the whole 8 hours at work today rushing. Consequently my body feels as sore sitting here right now as if I’d gone to the gym! What I am also realising is that I was not connected to my body whilst I was rushing and so this begs the question ‘where was I all day if I wasn’t with me?’.
I love the reflection that is there for me based on the way I am driving. There is a clear difference between the space that is offered when just cruising around, and happy to move at a slower speed, as opposed to the slightly tight, probably slightly late push that so often leads to speeding, but started probably the moment I got out of bed!
However, there is also a great feeling of having the power in the car, of enjoying everything that it can do, and then using that wisely. There is a deeply satisfying feeling in that power, in the same way there is in our bodies when we feel our strength… the trick is not to abuse it.
It’s great for us to realise that our movements and behaviours affect not only us but also those around us. I can feel that when I go over the speed limit or if I am in a hurry in the car that I am more irritated by other divers and less careful and patient on the roads which of course affects the drivers I come into contact with.
Our responsibility reaches far and wide and we do influence the traffic with our behaviour. We can either support the ease and flow or add to the congestion with our thought processes, drivenness and inner turmoil.
This is so true, Gabriele, and something I would never have believed possible if I hadn’t experienced it for myself. I changed my behaviour towards the way I was driving which has had a very physical domino effect on the way I move in and live life, an amazing experience in itself. But to then realise that this change in my driving behaviour has also influenced the move and flow of traffic around me was pretty mind blowing at first and worthy of questioning my own sanity – not understanding energetic law will do that 🙂 As months and months passed without a single traffic jam in site, I found myself enjoying and laughing with the playfulness of energetic law. My experience confirms exactly what you have expressed.
Brigette, thanks for sharing your experience with driving over the speed limit. It helps me be aware that when I choose to go faster than the speed limit that there is a tension in my body, I literally lean forward and tense my arms, this is very different to the relaxed feeling of driving within the limit. Great to be aware of this.
Complying with the speed limit offers the opportunity to be aware of the energy of all those around you – as well as yourself.
I love what you share about the flow and that when we are rushed and drive too fast for the roads we actually are stopped much more by traffic jams than when we honour the speedlimit. That is my experience for sure, not that I have been ever Speedy Gonzales but honouring the speed limit I don’t have to break often on the high ways.
I spent years racing with the devil pushing the limits of gravity. But, gravity never looses or cares. If you are going someplace the 20 miles away and the speed limit is 50mph, and you are driving at 80, will get you there 93 seconds quicker. The UK has changed the speeding ticket fines linked to your weekly salary. That doubles for every 10mph over the limit. The question is, can you afford to speed?
True, driving faster does not necessarily get you somewhere significantly quicker.
I didn’t know this about the UK and speeding fines!
Yes driving faster doesn’t get us there much quicker than driving within the speed limit – quite a shocker when I discovered this myself, having raced to arrive somewhere and felt the corresponding tension in my body.
What a beautiful blog, how many of us enjoy speeding and that sense of pride when overtaking the “slowpoke”?!
Does this reflect judgement and separation in these actions?
Brilliant blog Brigette! I am so delighted that you took time to “smell the roses” as Speedy Gonzales is obviously allergic to them. I have two jobs at present, one via a motorway and one through the country, and it is the latter I prefer the most, simply for the scenery. I had a little aha moment the other day when taking the country route when I realised that in the past I would have been driving this road rather fast as I would have probably running late and in my rush and accompanying tension I would have been totally missing out on enjoying the journey.
Thank you, Ingrid. I find most of us are so focussed on the destination that the enjoyment of the journey flies out the window without us realising it is the journey itself that we are here to not be here for. I drove home cross-country from a workshop this afternoon enjoying the sun setting in a palette of breathtaking colours and found myself happily driving UNDER the speed limit – ha! Now there’s a first 🙂
Brigette, I love your border-transcending story! Reminds me of myself and my mum, though not to quite the same extent. It sure is possible to metaphorically ‘smell the roses’ while you drive, and I too have noticed the way nothing seems to impede the flow on the road when I’m in the flow of harmony and beauty… Try to rush for one moment, and the slow pokes, road works, loaded trucks, etc. will appear practically out of thin air to give you a message!
I have also experienced the flow when I am connected and what happens if I am not, as a reflection to how I am living.
I love knowing I have a partner in border crime at the antipodes to the UK, Dianne – give or take a few thousand miles. Let’s work our way round in an anti-clockwise direction and see where we meet up metaphorically speaking! 🙂 <3
It sure is amazing what can appear out of thin air when the rushing energy is driving us I agree, Dianne. I used to sit there and question “did I ask for this???” Not in a meaningful way but in an arrogant, I-own-the-road kind of way. Funny thing is of course that yes indeed I did ask for this! Now that I have a deeper understanding of how energy works and the part I play in choosing which energy I am aligning to, the choice to smell the metaphoric roses is top of my list and steadily becoming the only choice on my list.
I have always thought the faster the better, but never liked rushing even though I did a lot of times. Come to think of it, this planet we are on is already spinning much much much faster than our mind can comprehend, and here we are thinking, by engaging our physical body into an activity at what we think is a top speed, that we are somewhat untouchable… like, really???
Yes, it’s laughable really when you put it this way Fumiyo.
It is very laughable, Helen. Here we are thinking we are ‘it’, racing around at top speed conquering whatever it is we think we are conquering, existing on a planet that is spinning ‘much much much faster than our mind can comprehend’ as Fumiyo says, thinking we are having the last laugh…..
I never liked rushing either, Fumiyo. I hated the way it made me feel with all that excess adrenalin energy running amok in my body but I couldn’t figure out how to step off the carousel that had me in its iron grip. The spirit runs a very tempting fun fair that can have one running from ride to ride not only to get the best adrenalin rush, but to keep one from feeling the ever increasing tension within. Exhausting as it is, the spirit does its best to convince us that this is the only way in life; the blinker-less prancing horses on the merry-go-round fool us into believing that we too are blinker-less and life is just one big glittering party as we step up and choose the horse we fancy. It may look and feel like we step off the merry-go-round when the ride comes to an end but such is the illusion we have fallen for that we don’t even realise the energy we are choosing keeps us going round and round in a never ending charade that leaves us feeling somewhat untouchable. As you say: ‘…..like, really???’