Let’s say you are heading down the highway going 75 – (Unless of course, one of your graduation years ends somewhere in the high 70’s. Then you are allowed to go that speed.)
You’re plowing along and road construction pops up. The first sign invites you to slow to 65 or risk the fine, then 55, and finally you are “crawling” at 45 mph on the interstate. It seems unbearably slow, even though you are making progress. However, your lane becomes further restricted, construction is occurring on an overpass, and all traffic comes to a halt. You have to sit and wait it out with everybody else.
At this point, you are regretting not stopping at the rest stop previously announced. You are recalculating your time of arrival at the destination ahead. You are suddenly starving and hoping food is on the horizon. Eventually, the flag man a half mile ahead gives the go-ahead, and you pray you get to be in that group.
Analogy time. (or maybe extended metaphor?) This is the pandemic. Some of us were flying along faster than the speed limit. Some of us were driving slower and didn’t feel the halting as quickly. And some of us were stopped anyway, so it really didn’t matter. Eventually we get to move and at some point get up to speed. Perhaps we will even check our speed, increase it or decrease? Throw ourselves into our future, or spend thoughtful time reflecting and enjoying the thorny rose bushes? Take the gifts of the rest stops along the way rather than whizzing by them?
Obviously, I had too much time to think on my drive yesterday! However, I did think this is all about making time good, not about making good time. (Not my initial wisdom. I had to read Robert M. Pirsig’s, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” back in that speed limit era.)
So, just making time good.