I have had to make a couple of lengthy road trips of late. While I miss my truck immensely, for its ability to carry all of my gardening necessities, I am grateful for the new car that gets much better gas mileage. My truck had grown too old and costly in repairs; and I did not feel safe driving it long distances.
I do not like to drive. I would, if I could, opt for a chauffeur and the comfort of being driven in a Rolls Royce. That is of course, as fantastical as wishing that I had been born into royalty. As I was making my way through the maze of highways yesterday, I was a mere dot in an endless stream of traffic. I was stuck by the thought that human beings are clearly insane. We drive in narrow lanes that are often strewn with potholes and uneven surfaces due to miles and miles of road construction. We drive at ridiculously high speeds. There are speed limit signs posted everywhere, but most drivers ignore them, driving as fast as their vehicle will allow. It is truly a wonder that there are not far more accidents than there are. These narrow lanes are shared by tanker trucks carrying double loads, by extra wide tractor trailers, and by tiny smart cars alike. Driving through Denver yesterday morning, the fumes from all the vehicles that I was forced to breathe, brought on my asthma. How, I wondered, are people able to breathe continually in the toxic environments that we have created?
It has been said that our bodies are vehicles for our souls. Our bodies allow us to maneuver through the physical world and to experience it. Our lives are not unlike the highways that we drive on. We merge onto one highway at birth where we share the road with our biological family. Throughout our lives, people will travel next to us for a while, just like the vehicles on the road; and then they will take an exit. We may, or may not, see them again on another road, at another time. When the time comes, we will take an exit – our final exit.
During the course of our life journey we are provided with one vehicle (our body) to carry us through. We must care for that vehicle because it is the only one we will get. We may have come into the world with an average body type or one that is very thin or very large. Our body may resemble a VW bug, a sleek Mercedes, a Mac truck, or anything in between. We often do not like our body vehicles. We abuse them and curse them; and we often abuse the vehicles that we drive as well. Our body vehicles will grow old, too. We may have to repair them from time to time. Too many people; however, mistakenly think that their body is who they are. They fail to appreciate the body they have been given, often wishing they had a different one. Whatever vehicle we have been given to use, to navigate our life, we must understand its temporal nature. We must value, honor, and respect not only the vehicles that we drive, but also the vehicles that we inhabit.
