Slowing down; feeling groovy

                
 



          Slow down; you move too fast.
          You've got to make the morning last.
          Just kickin' down the cobblestone;
          Lookin' for fun and feeling groovy!
               
                       59th Street Bridge Song

What's the perfect speed to drive on any interstate highway? The speed limit plus 10 miles per hour? That's what I used to think. I'm pretty sure that's the rule of thumb.

Consequently, I was always driving in the left lane, in a long string of cars and trucks, brake-tapping drivers, and high adrenaline. All of us left-laners were lined up trying to pass some slower driver as much as a quarter of a mile away. All that open lane on the right side, but you wouldn't dare get over because then you'd end up behind the slow-poke with no hope of breaking into the endless platoon of zippier drivers that now stretched out so far you couldn't see its end. 

I drove like that out of habit. Everyone else did.

That is, until my husband and I became a platoon of our own -- me in the little red Prius and him in the Corolla towing a little trailer loaded with household goods we're moving to our new mountain home. Because he needs to drive more slowly, I slow down, too. Our speed became 64 miles per hour. That's 6 mph slower than the limit on most highwayswe drive, and right on the nose on others. But, since most everyone else is traveling at the rule-of-thumb speed (at least), we are now the official slow pokes. 

But, you know what I've discovered? There are major rewards to driving more slowly on the interstate. I am no longer stuck in the traffic jam, gritting my teeth, and keeping my brake foot at the ready. As a matter of fact, I have the right lane to myself pretty much. It's clear sailing because all those other people are either way out in front of me in the same lane, or in the white-knuckle left-lane trying to pass me. Ah, all that clear space. I can relax. I can turn up the volume and enjoy the music on the radio. Best of all, I can enjoy the scenery.

I hear that driving more slowly also saves gas. With record high fuel prices, that's definitely a bonus. But I love the benefits to my soul even more. I feel groovy!

As Ferris Bueller said,  "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."