Recently I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Los Angeles. Which also means that I’ve spent a lot of time driving.
On the night of January 25th, I was in Calabasas driving back from a concert late that night. The fog was so thick I could hardly see the cars in front of me. Very sadly (devastatingly so), it was just hours before the tragic helicopter crash in the same hills in Calabasas that took the lives of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and 7 others. I couldn’t believe what I heard that morning when the news was reported.
In writing this, I realize how fleeting life is. How, in a moment, one’s life can be taken away. The very fact that we mourn the loss of our fellow humans, reinforces just how connected we really are to one another. If that’s the case, then why are we so lousy at communicating to one another? Why do we live in a me-centric society?
A small, yet relevant ‘tell’ in how poorly we connect with one another is how we drive. Yes. How we drive.
While in Los Angeles I’ve noticed, as I’ve been in the car a lot, that very few people use their signal indicators to let other drivers know what to anticipate. I’ve seen people in cars more often than not come to a dead stop in busy traffic when making a turn, without signalling. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?
I’ve seen dozens of cars on the side of the roadside swiped, or their side mirrors ripped off due to aggressive driving. I know how much driving you have to do to get anywhere, and yet you’re causing a lot of undue stress, anger, anxiety due to this aggressive behaviour. What for? Which brings me back to how fleeting life is.
Apart from fleeting, it also speaks to one’s behaviour, and how one chooses to be in this world. We talk about kindness. Well, guess what, kindness starts by using your signal indicator when wanting to make a turn or lane change. It shows that you’re respectful of others. It demonstrates that you’re a responsible human. It shows that you care for others.
Remember – How you do one thing is how you do everything.
We’re in life together. We ‘feel’ for one another when tragedy strikes. We grieve. We mourn. So why then don’t we take the opportunity that life (living) has granted us and be kinder to one another. It’s as simple as using your signal indicators when driving.
When I write about, speak, live, breathe what it means to Be Your Truth, it means that everything that you do has to start with you first. With positive action.
Signal on my friends. Let us know what you’re doing.