Grateful for the mundane

Picture this. An hour-long round trip. Highway roads, mostly in pristine condition, mostly empty. From the society gate, go straight, take a left, go straight for another 5 kms till the toll booth. Slide right to join the flyover and take it all the way to the exit. Merge on to a slip road for another 5 kms. Take a left and then in another km, take the left towards the airport. Another 5ish kms of straight forward driving will lead you to the terminal where I had to drop off people. I did this twice in the past three days, both in the early hours of dawn. Sounds mundane and life draining right? I would have the same outlook if driving was my job and this was part of a routine that I would have to repeat without a choice hundreds of times in a week.

However, driving is just a passion. I don’t have to put pressure on it to earn a living out of it and can choose to enjoy by pushing hard on every acceleration or treat it like a chore and just get from point A to point B. This choice, combined with the fact that I am a car guy, combined with the fact that early in the morning roads are empty, means that I am able to just enjoy myself. I don’t have to be the fastest out there. I am not trying to set any records. I don’t need the most powerful car out there, for I couldn’t afford a semi-decent one to begin with.

What I can relish, is the fact that I get to do this. Knowing the next pothole. Knowing which is the right gear for the upcoming turn. Knowing which line will reduce bumps. When to lift off so as to arrive at the next corner at the right speed without heavy braking or with heavy braking depending on the mode of driving. 

Approach. Brake. Match rev. Downshift. Be in the power zone. Place the car correctly. Look towards the exit. Check for people doing stupid things around me. Power out. 

That’s it. That’s all that matters and that’s enough to recharge my soul. Post the high, think of what could have been done better. Did I shift too early? Was I in the right gear? How much more could I push in that corner? Did I dump the clutch too early? Did I start shifting without engaging the clutch completely? Notes made, corrections to be done for the next time. Fun!

I am grateful and super lucky to be in this position and while I hope I am not trying to hold on to it, this post is a reminder to myself to be in the moment and savour it.