Watch and Learn

Learn to live from the heart, and nothing else really matters, does it? 

Living in the FAST Lane

Today, I was walking across the street. Granted, I was nowhere near a crosswalk; but come on, I'm from New Orleans, so I don't know what crossing the street at the corner would feel like. Anyway, I was crossing the street, and a young man in his super-charged Ford F-150 on elevated wheels with bright shiny rims honked at me, raised his arm, and callously pretended to brush me off the street as if to indicate that I was wasting his precious time and I should move before he runs me over. So I did the only thing any self-respecting southerner would do. I smiled, waved, and bent to to tie my shoes. I was wearing flip flops. After taking my sweet time, I stood up, smiled, and waved one more time before I made my out of the middle of the street. Maybe I was out of line, who really knows.

The incident got me thinking about the pace at which we so fervently rush through our lives, day in and day out. Now, I have never been out of the country, so I don't know how the quality of life elsewhere differs from that in America. The stereotype, however, would lead me to believe that this sense of indefinite haste to the grave is a uniquely American trait. I suppose its in our blood; passed down from generation to generation straight from the Founders of this great country. I couldn't help but wonder, as I strolled back to my apartment basking in the sunlight and soaking in every minute detail that the day had to offer, why we seem to be in such a rush. The flip side of the coin suggests that the pace at which we live has set the standard for modern progression of our society as a whole. It's perfectly reflective of the "dog eat dog" world that we live in. The message is loud and clear: jump onto the moving train called "The American Dream" or get left in the dust. I just wonder where it ends. Where do we think we are going?

I guess these are all pretty large questions. I don't pretend to have the answers. Otherwise I'd ended up moving out to the woods for a couple years to write a radical novel that would thus forth be extensively studied in high school english classrooms to the great dismay of the youngsters who refused to read another word about the method by which I determined the exact measurements of Walden pond.

I guess my point is, I'd like to spend my life learning new ways to slow down, step outside of the fast lane, and breathe in all the little joys and intricacies that this beautiful world has to offer. And hopefully along the way, I'll be extremely annoyed at how slowly a pedestrian has decided to walk across the middle of the street, raise my arm with a kind smile on my face, and wave as they make their way to whatever fate awaits them.

Till next time, Ad Astra...