The View Never Changes

I had one of those light bulb moments yesterday as I sat in my office waiting for my turn. My office is a total of 60 feet long and weighs in at right about 65,000lbs. I was just sort of staring out the window and letting my mind go back to where what I was doing today really began for me.

The summer I was 16 I was doing what most 16 year olds do. I was taking drivers ed during the week. Every weekend my Dad would take me out early Sat. morning for some practice. Every trip out was an adventure and everytime was something new that my Dad felt I should know and experience.

This one Sat. my Dad drove us down to the lake. Here in Chicago there are lots of roads by the lake front that don't really go anywhere, and early in the morning there's hardly anyone around. He pulls the car over to the side just like always. This time though before he gets out he pushes the rear view mirror all the way towards the roof and gets out. He shuts the door and folds the side mirror all the way in. Of course my small 16 year old mind was thinking ,gezzz a lesson in how to adjust the mirrors. How exciting. He moves to the front of the car and tell me to get out and lets get going. I pass him and swing into the drivers side. Gezz he's still standing there, come on get in! He shouts at me , "can you see me?". Yea I shout back. ( gezz what does he think I am blind?) "You're sure you can see me"? "Yea of course I can". He wanders over to the passenger side and gets in. Finally I'm thinking. "Ok, lets get started" he says to me. I reach up to adjust the mirror ( wait till he sees how good I am at this). "Nope" he says,"not today".OK I think I can do this. I reach to adjust the outside mirror and I get the same. "Nope, not today". I look at him and asked, "how am I suppose to drive without the rear view mirrors"? He looked at me and asked," did you see me when I was standing in front of the car"? "Of course I did, I told you I did". He said, "it's simple, what's in front of you is the most important thing. The View Never Changes if you spend your time looking in the mirrors at where you've been".

About 9 years later I find myself with another man sitting about 4 feet to my right giving me instruction. I was in truck driving school. "Today we are going to learn how to use your eyes. You'll practice this the rest of the time you're here and hopefully you'll make it a habit" I want you to always get the whole picture. You begin at the left mirror, move to the left windshield. down to the gauges, up to the right windshield, then to the right mirror, then reverse. The trick is, you only spend one and a half seconds at each station. Keep your eyes moving".

My light bulb moment was this. My Dad wasn't just talking about driving. He was talking about life. He was trying to get me to understand that yes, what's behind you is important, it's where you've been. But what's out there in front of you. That's the most important thing because that's where you're going. The instructor was telling me to not let my vision get lazy.

See everything.

Take in the whole picture.

If you spend all your time looking back.

The should have's, the could have's.

The View Never Changes.