Driving home from work late yesterday evening, I caught myself checking my rearview mirror to make sure I wasn’t going too slowly for the person behind me. If I had been, I wouldn’t have sped up; I would have changed lanes and let the person pass me.
New Hampshire has slowed my restless spirit. There was a time where I couldn’t – not wouldn’t, but couldn’t – slow my pace. A New Yorker at heart, I spent most of my life living as though my life depended on getting from Point A to Point B immediately.
To quote one of my favorite songs, John Mayer’s Only Heart, “You live like your hand’s on the horn, baby.” Well, he actually said ‘love’ but I’ll take creative liberties here.
As a state, New Hampshire goes about 30 miles per hour, and I don’t just mean on the road. The entire attitude here is unlike any I’ve experienced; everything is “Wait and see.” It’s not good or bad, it just is.
I was surprised to realize the slower pace had trickled down to me, owner of one of the most impulsive souls on earth. I have spent my life jumping off one cliff or another, living and loving at the speed of light.
Suddenly, I have found myself in a position where rushing isn’t going to help me one single bit, and even more interestingly, I don’t want to rush. I’ve adapted to the 30mph lifestyle here; it crept up on me slowly and silently while I was looking somewhere else.
My hand is off the horn; I’m ready to kick back and enjoy the ride.
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2 Responses to “Calming my restless spirit”
Could it be because of the no seatbelts/helmets/carseat laws and people are just afraid to go faster than 30 mph?
My cousin lived in Nashua for several years and told me it’s the “Live free and die state.”
Anyway, kudos to you for being a polite and conscientious driver.
Thanks for putting it into words…know the feeling of ‘slow’ sneaking up while not looking.
Enjoy!