This article resonated with me in a lot of ways.
Anecdotally, this passage specifically reminded me of a practice I took on for a few weeks this summer. During the drive home from work I would pass by hundreds of cars, sometimes crawling at 5MPH, other times up to 30MPH. Beyond that speed I didn’t feel able to make a connection. (more on that later.)
As I approached oncoming drivers, I took it upon myself to look towards the driver window and speak, “I Love You” in my minds eye to each one I passed.
(You can’t look at your phone and send any good vibes into the world, so stop texting and driving. Looking for connection? Try this instead!)
It seemed a good way to transition from a job I love, but can bring upon stress — into the alone-time and daily ritual/habits I look forward to when I get home. Why not see if my happy attitude on the way home could make other’s lives better or add to the empathic web? (Pro-Tip — have your favorite music cued up for the duration!)
Not a week into my experiment of sending good vibes to oncoming traffic — I start seeing this guy on my commute home, windows down; hand out his window and hand raised with the two-fingered peace sign, having found his own way to connect heading back home the other way.
You can imagine how good it felt the first time driving home while consciously saying, “I Love You” and next car that comes up, I see this brave, positive & courageous soul holding out two fingers of peace while his sunglasses did their job and his open window revealed a big smile on his face.
#peaceontheway (home)
