Before starting the car,
I know where I am going.
The car and I are one.
If the car goes fast, I go fast.
Sometimes we don't really need to use the car, but because we want to get away from ourselves, we go for a drive. We feel that there is a vacuum in us and we don't want to confront it. We don't like being so busy, but every time we have a spare moment, we are afraid of being alone with ourselves. We want to escape. Either we turn on the television, pick up the telephone, read a novel, go out with a friend, or take the car and go somewhere.
Our civilization teaches us to act this way and provides us with many things we can use to lose touch with ourselves. If we recite the little poem (above) as we are about to turn the ignition key of our car, it can be like a torch, and we may see we don't need to go anywhere.
Wherever we go, our self, will be with us; we cannot escape. So it may be better, and more pleasant, to leave the engine off and go out for a walking meditation...
The car and I are one. We have the impression that we are the boss, and the car is only an instrument, but that is not true. When we use any instrument or machine, we change. A violinist with the violin becomes very beautiful. A man with a gun becomes very dangerous. When we use a car, we are ourselves and the car.
Driving is a daily task in this society. I am not suggesting you stop driving, just that you do it consciously. While we are driving, we think only about arriving. Therefore, every time we see a red light, we are not very happy. The red light is a kind of enemy that prevents us from attaining our goal. But we can also see the red light as a bell of mindfulness, reminding us to return to the present moment. The next time you see a red light, please smile at it, and go back to your breathing. "Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out I smile." It is very easy to transform a feeling of irritation into a pleasant feeling. Although it is the same red light, it becomes different. It becomes a friend, helping us remember that it is only in the present moment that we can live our lives...
The next time you are caught in a traffic jam, don't fight. It's useless to fight. Sit back and smile to yourself, a smile of compassion and loving kindness. Enjoy the present moment, breathing and smiling, and make the other people in your car happy. Happiness is there if you know how to breathe and smile, because happiness can always be found in the present moment. Practicing meditation is to go back to the present moment to encounter the flower, the blue sky, the child. Happiness is available.
