PHOTO: RICK BELDEN
D. I. COLUMNIST The Real Deal with Tommy D ' Aprile
How many of you find it hard to take time out of your day and just chill? Most of us, if we are honest, would say that we have too many things to do and just not enough time in the day. We make hasty choices, which in turn can affect our health, relationships and our life in so many ways. We rush around thinking we are getting ahead of everyone, but the truth is we are just stressing ourselves out for nothing. Have you ever been driving in traffic, passing that slowpoke driver only to have them catch up to you at the next stoplight? That’ s just an example of how rushing really gets us nowhere fast.
At the recent PDRA event in Hebron, Ohio, we all got a chance to either stress or chill. Let me explain. My team and I started the journey from Florida early on a Wednesday morning. We arrived at the track around 1:30 a. m. Thursday morning ready for the race. We got some rest and woke up later that morning and got ready to test. The weather was beautiful and we had a completely full day of testing and working hard. Friday morning came and we all got ready to qualify, but after only a couple of classes ran we were visited by a pretty heavy rainstorm. They dried the track and then another rain shower came in, then another.
I heard a lot of complaining and most people going crazy wondering what to do. I decided that I was going to relax. I watched a movie, ate, slept and repeated this throughout the day. Later in the day after Friday’ s activities were postponed due to rain, I decided to just go and visit with people and enjoy fellowship. All I can tell you was that it was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable days I have had in a long time. Even though the rain came, I finally decided to enjoy it rather than complain about it.
The point I am trying to make here is that we seldom take time out of our day to just stop and smell the roses, as some would say. But what I have found is that if we never do, we may never have the chance to. I am learning that every day is a gift and we need to start enjoying them more. If you are waiting for everything to be perfect before you chill, there is a good chance you never will. I am a prime example of someone who lives life in the fast lane, but I am passing too many things up and need to make some changes, and I’ m sure some of you do, too.
Well, after many more attempts at drying the track on Saturday, they finally cancelled the race. Unlike racing close to home, we now had an almost 20-hour trip back home, but this time instead of complaining about it I chose to take in all of the beautiful sights on the way: mountains, rivers, beautiful landscapes and even the ocean views as we came back into our home in Florida.
You see, I didn’ t stress out about the rain, but allowed all the delays that weekend to examine where I need to place more importance in my life. We can all have more balance and enjoyment, but as always, the choice is yours to make.
Email Tommy at tommyd @ dragillustrated. com
September 2018
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