Making your car rides count
This article isn’t about big long road trips…. It’s about the little ones. The thousand-hauls back and forth where big and little people are carried across town to and from soccer games, and swim-practices, with stinky bags of who-knows what’s, and 50 pound backpacks filled with notebooks, and smooshed pieces of crackers with their long forgotten cheese snack.. It’s about the hours spent hauling giant instrument cases to and from evening jazz practice. The sprinkled in haircuts; the dentists, ortho, and doctor appointments. It’s the last minute grocery store pick ups for a class contribution your daughter forgot to mention she signed you up for (tonight!) and glue and poster board needed for your son’s project (tomorrow)!. It’s choir night and art showings and weekend meet up with friends. As your middle school son exits the car, you notice his walk is more funny than normal—only to realize the pair of shoes you bought last month no longer fit? One more trip out, but not tonight.. Today is done. Time to drive home.
“Hey mom, hey dad, hey grandma, hey grandpa, hey auntie, hey friend—- thank you!” Your time matters. It is precious and you are sharing it with people who are also precious. There is a verse in Zechariah 4:10 that questions, “Who hates the day of small things?” For the eyes of God searches the earth and will rejoices in seeing the work begin.
You are doing a work. A work is a powerful thing that synergies towards something good! Work is for good! But sometimes when we are in the middle of the haul it doesn’t always feel this way. It feels like a lot of energy is being spent and the emotional gas tank is running empty. It feels weighty and tired and cumbersome. It feels dull and frustrating and draining. It can feel busy and hectic and overwhelming. but remember life is moving forward. This moment? It’s a small measure of the whole. Each passing way to something new.
Here are some ideas that may help make our car rides become an investment instead: We can choose to travel with presence. With or without words, we hold power to communicate to someone we love, “I am here for you.” I am showing up to support and love you. You matter to me.
So, what can that look like in the car?
Don’t talk. Just listen. Listen to their bad day without giving unsolicited advice. Or if you can’t hold back, ask their permission before offering advice. Listen today / teach another day.
Don’t talk. Just listen. (This isn’t a typo. It makes the list twice because it’s really important!) Listen to their backseat conversations with friends and each other. It’s amazing how kids can forget you’re in the car chauffering and what they are willing to spill to each other. Listen to their music of choice every once and awhile. This is opportunity to find out who they are.
Bless them. Speak a word over your passengers. This can be a statement of truth and the beauty that you see and appreciate in them.. It can simply be a sign language to a child riding in the back saying, “I love you” —I see you. It can be a verse or quote that you read and want them to meditate on this day. You never know how that one word will impact them or someone around them.
Ask for specifics. Not a boring: “How was your day?” But ask, “what was the best part of your day? What was the hardest thing you did today? What was the funniest thing you heard today? What was yummiest part of your lunch or best thing you did at recess or break?
Stop for the occasional before or after-school chocolate doughnut. Sometimes it really is quite necessary.
How do I invest if I ride solo?
Have a go-to favorite Build into your day something you look forward to. What audio book or podcasts can you enjoy while on the road?What music playlists can you download to set the right emotional feel before or after work? How about learning something new while you commute— What does it look like to learn a phrase in another language? Or listen to a subject you know nothing about to learn one new thing? What would build over time if you practiced this every day?
Ride in silence. Do you dare to turn off all the noise for a short ride? Listen to your thoughts and think new ideas? Make up your own song or sing something that comes to mind? Practice a speech, presentation, or entertain a new strategy… Take-in what you’re seeing as you drive the same road a million times each week. Notice the sun setting and lighting up the sky. Do you see the grandma on the sidewalk kneeling down to smile and talk sweetly to a little boy on his tiny bike? Or the woman walking four dogs or an old man walking his cat in a stroller? Life is made of small interesting moments…but do we open our eyes to see them? What if we use silence to notice and pray for one house or person on our route— even if it is a total stranger— Leave a comment and let us know how it goes!
Take a new road to a familiar place. Exit auto-pilot. Exercise and expand your brain activity..
Take a moment to enjoy. Got a few extra minutes? What simple action can you fit in? Park with a book or simply take a deep breath and relax at a really fantastic or even not-so-fantastic park. Do a few pushups or run a flight of stairs by a nearby building. Pull off the road to watch a sunset! Just be sure to stay safe and smart!
Buy a Yeti. This is not a paid sponsorship but maybe it should be :) ! This go-to/to-go cup is a car ride game-changer. Seriously, iced-water no matter how long your vehicle has been parked in a sun-scorched parking lot?! Hot coffee or tea next to you in a traffic jam or train-wait? The moment just got so much more cozy and savory! Sip on a great beverage while you watch the graffiti art pass by on the track in front of you. This cup has a convenient cover so beverages can’t slosh around and become a mess in the car. Yes please! Be sure to follow Mannes blog because you never know when a Yeti may surprisingly show up to enrich your life in drive! Sometimes its the simplest things that make life work.
Make the phone call. Use your commute to communicate with someone you may not always have time to connect within your day… the long-distance phone call to your friend or family member that takes more than a minute.
Keep the car clean. This may seem silly, but it actually creates a feeling of peace and order that spills over to our emotions and feelings and overall well-being and health. Take out trash with every trip. This helps keep your car environment much nicer. And you won’t even have to apologize to your next passenger! Mannes Body Shop is here to help your mess if you’d rather not! Check out our detail service. Because feeling good in your car is a really great feeling:)
Best to you! Enjoy your road!
