Intro

As a teen, my best friend was always paranoid while driving. As often naughty girls, we never knew who may suddenly pop up behind us. So to keep her driving record intact, free of dui's or driving tickets, as well as keeping her ass free of welps, she worked out a special system...look at the road in front, check the rear view mirror, then check the side view mirror. After a short time, her movements became automatic. Front, rear, side...front, rear, side...front, rear, side.

Cruising into my forties, I realize that our driving mirrors share a valid comparison with our lives...it's a constant check of what's behind us, what's beside us and where we're going, all in the guise of keeping us safe and sane. How we rotate our mirrors as we drive is a good indicator of how we manage our individual lives.

I for one find myself getting stuck looking in the rear view mirror the most, straining to see what opportunities I left behind and holding my breath as a semi comes inches from relieving me of my back bumper. In the rear view mirror, the scene always loses definition, and details begin to fade. I spend so much time checking what's behind me, that I often miss the good stops coming up ahead.

I convince myself that if I keep looking back, I will not be doomed to repeat my same horrible mistakes. And yes, sometimes it does help. For that is what the true measure of intelligence is, the ability to learn and not repeat mistakes. As a society, we could use a little more rear view mirror searching, instead of the forward tunnel vision we seem stuck in. But as individuals, we must learn balance, and never to give any direction more attention than another.

So ride along with me down the Blogger Road, while I search for truth and balance. It will be a bumpy ride, filled with potholes and poor white trash in their natural habitat, but hopefully, at the end of the trip, there'll be a nice big Dairy Queen waiting. You just never know.