Day 2: Efficiency

I drove real slow today.  My car is having radiator issues but we haven't had a chance to fix it and Scotty's truck is not starting, so I'm having to drive some despite the overheating.  Hence, driving slowly.  Bolivia has made me learn how to drive fast and aggressively...it's really the only way to get anywhere in a city where everyone is out for themselves behind the wheel.  However, this style of driving leads to a lot of road rage for me.  I get annoyed when people pull out right in front of me when they could have waited because there's no one behind me.  I shoot daggers with my eyes at the people who stop in the middle of the road (literally) because they're checking their phone or picking up passengers or forgot they weren't the only ones in the street.  I'm exasperated when I have to slam on my brakes because a car coming from the other direction has decided to pass a slow dump truck on a blind curve.  Basically, when I'm on the road, I'm in a hurry and that adds to the stresses me out.

But, today, I drove slow.  The guy passing on the blind curve didn't bother me because I wasn't going fast enough to have to slam on my brakes.  People turning out in front of me weren't a problem cause I was already coasting along so calmly that I just had to lift off my accelerator a little.  I felt so relaxed!  It made me start wondering about other areas of my life where I push myself to hurry- believing somehow that time is too precious to "waste".  Is efficiency so very important?  Do we add unneeded stress to our lives and even miss out on moments with those we love because we need to make sure we are packing every minute full of important things?

In this phase of my life, there is a lot going on.  I have three school age kids and a big house and errands to run and I live in a less-than-efficient country.  I've realized when I have the chance to slow down, I don't know what to do with it.  I find it difficult to always make time to sit and listen to my kids or play with them.  I feel guilty for not being efficient.  I don't think that's healthy- not for me, at least.  Driving slow today caused my thoughts to slow down, too.  It gave me a chance to think, to pray, to notice the color of the mountains around me, to realize that I live a lot of my life rushed.  It's not always been that way; it's a habit that I've formed and maybe a message I've accepted: Don't waste time. But, is slowing down a waste?  Even after I fix my car, I think I'll keep driving slow.