Slowing down at speed humps

The other day whilst driving home I was consumed by an overwhelming resistance to slow down at a speed hump, only a couple of streets away from my home. It had been an arduous, lengthy day, traversing from one side of Melbourne to the other and I just wanted for the journey to be over, to be back at home.  But there it was looming ahead, the first of two mounds rudely protruding from the otherwise flat road surface. For a split moment I wished I had Barbara Eden’s magical ability as the genie to blink them away. I did not feel like slowing down at this given moment, and I resented being forced to right here, right now. 

Belatedly and half-heartedly I applied the brakes, resulting in both the car and myself abruptly jolting up and down. Immediately afterwards I was dumbfounded at how I had reacted, prompting me to reflect on why I had so strongly resisted the need to slow down at something strategically placed to save lives. I pondered how many other times in my life I had rebelled against the need to slow down, and at what potential cost this may have had not only to my own, but to others’ health and wellbeing. 

Rather than a hindrance, these ‘speed humps of life’ serve a purpose, a greater good; to slow us down, to regain balance and mental clarity.  It is important to reframe in our hearts and mind things that are often hastily labelled as obstacles hindering our forward progress, instead as opportunities to be grateful for, keeping us safely on the path in which we are destined to travel.  There are times in our lives that are not meant to be rushed, where the focus should be more about the journey than the destination.  It is often at these times that life’s most special moments unfold, with something as little as your favourite song coming on the radio putting you in a buoyant mood for the rest of the day. Perhaps, as a result of being forced to slow down, whether it be speed humps, flat batteries, traffic jams, or red lights, you may even unexpectedly stumble upon an old friend that you have not seen in ages, presenting you with a rare and precious opportunity to catch up. It may in fact transpire that what happens in these unscheduled moments will be the very things that constitute your life’s most memorable moments, rather than the ones you had so carefully planned for.

What a blessed opportunity to just be able to slow down, to be caught before one spirals out of control into the whirlwind that is life.  Resisting applying your internal brakes and ignoring those internal and external prompts to slow down results in an accumulation of stress and pressure, and we all know how detrimental that can be on one’s health.  As Carl Jung aptly said, “what you resist persists”.

I now view speed humps with greater reverence and am deeply grateful for their presence. On a daily basis I schedule restorative speed humps into my routine in the form of deep intentional breathing exercises to slow me down, allowing me to continue safely on my journey.  What will you do?

In love and laughter,
Ros