Saturday, November 11, 2006

Sunday Scribblings - Passenger Seat

The prompt this week is a quote: "I don't want to be a passenger in my own life." (Diane Ackerman)

But, truth be told, I don't mind the passenger's seat all that often. I actually prefer it most of the time. It's comforting to be able to sit back and relax and know that the driver has it all under control. No worries. It's nice to be taken care of.

I've had some great experiences that I would not have had if I hadn't been willing to just go along for the ride. Movies I had no interest in that I went to anyway just to be with the group turned out to be highly entertaining (though not always works of cinematic genius). Concerts I was really too tired to attend turned out to be fantastic experiences that I wouldn't give up for the world. Trips I wasn't all that keen on taking with particular people turned out to be great bonding opportunities. Restaurants that I was afraid of going to because I'd never had that kind of food before have become some of my favorites. I didn't start karate simply because it was something I wanted to do so much as because I wanted an activity to share with my husband and he was already into it. And now it's a part of my weekly routine because I love it.

So the passenger seat isn't such a bad thing.

4 comments:

ren powell said...

Couldn't agree more. Maybe people who insist on driving their lives wind up with a very narrow road? (Boy this metaphor is getting a work-out this week :-).

Kerstin said...

Great perspective. Perhaps as so often in life it is all about balance: take responsibility for your own life but also trust others to enrich it by letting them take you places, too.

megan said...

Good, sane thoughts. Thanks for sharing them. Really appreciated your examples of how we don't actually know what will happen next.

Anonymous said...

hi ,

FIRST OF ALL WE ALL MUST UNDERSTAND EVERYBODY IS PASSANGER..
IF UR SUCCESFUL THAN YOU ARE A DRIVER OTHERWISE VISE-VERSA..

TO BE DRIVER , 1ST OF ALL WE HAVE TO BE A PASSANGER THAN ONLY WE CAN UNDERSTAND THE FEELING OF PASSSANGER SITTING AT THE BACK, WITH ALL THE BELIEF/DOUBT THAT IT WILL TAKE US TO OUR DESTINATION..

YES BEING AT A DRIVER SEAT U WILL UDERSTAND THE DIFFICULTIES/RESPOSIBILY FACED..
THANKS
RAJESH
RAJESHKUMARPILLAI@HOTMAIL.COM