When in a Hurry, Slow Down

Nick's Laws of Inverse Logic: Law #1: When in a hurry,my journey, but in a very different frame of mind.
slow down. Or, when you are in a hurry a train willI resolved to slow down.
always cross your path.I recalled a quote I had recently posted on these
I pride myself (there, right there is the problem - pride)pages:
on understanding the toll our high paced society is"When you drink tea, just drink tea. Enjoy drinking your
having on the human spirit. I've written about thetea. Please don't drink your suffering, your despair, your
importance of slowing down and finding solitude. Yetprojects. This is very important. Otherwise you can't
the other morning, with a drive into the (big) city andnourish yourself." (Source: The Art of Power by Thich
the need to pick-up a co-worker and arrive on time, INhat Hanh)
felt the need for speed pushing on me.For the rest of the journey I would just drink my tea. I
Of course as hurry would have it, I left the house fivelooked out the window to enjoy the beautiful summer
minutes late before I even began. I found myselfcountryside. On the freeway, I stayed in the slow lane,
glancing at my dash board clock more than theand focused on just driving my car. I didn't listen to the
speedometer. I cleared by first time obstacle, theradio which meant I missed those incessant traffic
Mission Bridge with easy. But as I came down off theupdates about how bad the traffic is up ahead. (I
ridge onto my normal commuter route, the crossing lineturned the car radio off several weeks ago and have
just began to flash. Briefly, I even considered runningnot turned it back on since and I don't miss it at all.)
the lights, but fortunate all the times I have condemnedDespite the train I arrived to pick-up my co-worker
others showing such utter stupidity caused me to putright on time.
on the breaks and take my medicine, and count trainAs my co-worker got into the car, after the morning
cars.greetings, I said, "We should just make it in time."
While I sat idling I realized that if I carried on like this allAfter that I paid no attention to the time. I enjoyed the
the way to my down town meeting, I would certainlydrive in, chatting with my co-worker as we breezed
arrive late, exhausted from the commute and oozingalong.
negative vibes about the state of traffic in Vancouver.Soon the high-rise towers appeared on the horizon,
As all this went through my head while I craned byand before we knew it we where amid the towers of
next to see down the track to spot the last car in thisglass, sparkling in the sunlight.
very long train, I experience an ah! moment. Giving"Looks like we're early, we have time to go have a
myself a sore neck straining, to see a car that wouldStarbucks."
arrive in its own good time whether I watched for it orWe arrived downtown 40 minutes early!
not: made no sense. With effort I turned my head toOn our drive down I explained Nick's First Law of
watch the train going away from me. I was temptedInverse Logic to my co-worker who found the whole
to look in the opposite direction just for a peek to seeidea amusing but true.
in the final car was in view yet, but I steadfastlySo there you have it, proof that my First Law of
resisted.Inverse Logic works.
The last freight car sped by in no time and I resumedWhen in a hurry, slow down!