Turning My Brain Off

Turning My Brain Off

Mason Lefever

Incoming Freshman – Widener University

What do I have to do today? When is that paper due? What days can I work this week? Where are we going on vacation? Was I rude to Aidyn? Is he taking advantage of the situation? What should I get Mom for her birthday? How did I get here already?

Random thoughts. Daily thoughts. General why can’t I stop thinking thoughts. I do my best thinking in the car. No music, no people, no phones, just me. Ahhhh. It’s a bit of a relief at times to be able to be stuck with my own thoughts where no one can distract me. BEEEEEEEEP!! Whoa! What was that? I almost hit that car!

I am jolted out of my thoughts into the reality that once again my brain has taken over and I am suddenly faced with a situation of almost being in a car accident. Thankfully the word almost is huge here. This one was a little too close for comfort though and I realize right then and there that I can no longer use driving in my car as solace for my thoughts.

Have you ever done it? Gotten in your car and driven from point A to point B and have no idea how you got there? No real recollection of passing familiar buildings or landmarks? I have. Lots of times and I am now making a concerted effort to save my thoughts for another time. Probably when I’m in the shower because no one can bother me there and I’m certainly not bringing my phone in there!

So the big question is “How”? How do I keep my mind from drifting when the roads I’m on and the routes I’m taking are the same ones I’ve been on for years? First as a passenger and now as a driver? I mean, I’ve only been driving for two years but it’s amazing how quickly it can feel like I’ve been doing this my whole life.

The answer to my question of “How” is seemingly so simple. Stay alert. I decided that I would look for something new every time I had to drive the next day. That should keep me focused. My first day of staying alert started easily enough. I was determined and set out on my way to work which is 15 minutes away. It was easy. I noticed two new cars in the car lot, saw a mom with her two kids playing in their yard, and saw that a house near my work was up for sale. I figured I had this thing in the bag.

Next up, heading to Maw Maw’s house. This would prove to be a little more difficult as Maw Maw is 25 minutes away on a backroad that isn’t that interesting. Turns out that having nothing to really look at proved to help me focus on the road even more. I noticed more speed limit signs than I ever have before and a city limit sign that I swear they must have put up overnight! And there are three big Amish barns on the way to her house.

After leaving Maw Maw’s I decided to take a different route home. I remember one of my parent’s telling me they did it once in a while to keep things interesting. I never really knew what that meant until I decided to take this day of “awareness driving” I’ll call it. So, a different path.

Well, that proved to be the biggest tool to keeping me focused on driving and not on my thoughts. I actually had to pay attention to what roads I had to turn on and how fast I was going. It actually felt good to go a different way and stay alert and focused on what I was doing.

So what did I learn? First, I came to realize that yes, I can be a distracted driver. I wouldn’t have said that before since my phone is on drive mode when I am in the car and I rarely listen to music. I learned that by putting my focus outward, looking at the world while I am passing it, taking real notice of the cars in front of me, paying attention to road signs, taking different ways to places helps to steer me in the right direction of being a better driver, a safer driver not only for me but for those around me as well.

I think gaining this awareness of being, what I might call an alert driver, can help my friends and family also. Purely by sharing my changes with my parents opened their eyes to how they had been driving. My mom said she often gets to her destination and thinks back not quite remembering how she got there so quickly. She said she is going to try some of the tricks that I did. My Dad suggested that I share this story with my some of my friends. I plan on doing that, starting the conversation and hopefully it helps someone to become conscious of how they are driving and maybe save a life.