Recently, I was sitting passenger side in a jeep (maybe it's an SUV, but as cars are not my thing and I am not good at getting the details right, let's call this one a jeep with a gear box, which probably all jeeps have.) The 20 year old driver of the vehicle had, from his birth to present day, lived in a beautiful home nestled in the Colorado mountains. On this particular day, the two of us had reason to drive into town which was after a recent snow fall and as he negotiated the reasonably narrow road, I was keeping a close watch on his driving technique, especially as he used the lower gears. There was a strong possibility that I would be borrowing the car within the next few days (and that happened) and, as I not accustomed to driving in wintery conditions down a narrow curving road, I wanted to ensure that I knew what I was doing (as much as that was possible). Most people, he commented, do not know how to drive well in snow. They usually go too fast and then have to use their brakes too often and that makes it difficult to keep control of the car (as well as avoiding crashing into fellow road users). When they do that, their wheels stop and that can be a crucial mistake even through brakes are for slowing us down, in snow, that's not a good thing, and use them sparingly.
The trick, he told me, was to keep the wheels going. As we drove I was asking him questions as borrowing a car always comes with responsibility, perhaps more so than driving one's own vehicle and I wanted to get it right, especially so in these unfamiliar (to me) conditions. According to him, most people, when navigating snow and ice, drive in too high a gear and therefore don't have good control over their speed. Keep it in first or maybe second gear will give the driver so much more control and that's what we need while maneuvering down a steep incline.
It's all about momentum. Keep going. It's fine to go slowly as keeping the wheels turning is what's needed with minimal brake use than to allow the car to go too fast. That would inevitably panic the driver and force a slower speed somewhere down the road with perhaps dangerous results. Move with the snow and use it as a natural breaker if the speed seems to be getting too much.
I think that's what I am doing in my life right now. Nothing is going fast and yet, I am continuing to move. I am keeping my spiritual wheels going by reading around topics and current issues that somewhere down the road I will need. There is a nagging inclination inside of me to allow fear and anxiety to take over and yet, forward momentum, however slow, is what's needed, however much I long to go faster. Perhaps going slower without having to use the brakes is what keeps fear and anxiety away from my path.
Keep the wheels going. Keep going, however slowly because forward momentum is crucial.
