Car/Driver Analogy

2006, Iguazu Falls, Brazil

I was lying on the floor doing my daily E-cises*, contemplating how the mind, body and spirit function together, when I thought: each of us is sort of like a car and driver. Our body is the car, and our "spirit" or "soul" is the driver of that car. 

A car attains peak performance when it is well maintained and driven by a good driver who knows the car and drives it the way it was designed. Good drivers accept and appreciate their car for what it is, and don't wish it were something else. Once behind the wheel, drivers get to choose the destination, route, speed, rest stops, and so on. Of course, drivers also get to decide if they enjoy the ride or not.

In my simple world, we're all just "driving" through this life in our different "cars." I don't expect that everyone else's car should be painted the same color as mine, have the same owner's manual, or carry the same number of passengers in exactly the same way. The world needs all different kinds. I find the diversity fascinating.

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* A few words on E-cises: They are simple physical therapy routines developed by Pete Egoscue. The basic idea is to allow one's body to heal on its own. The best thing about doing the E-cises is, in my opinion, being pain-free.

(P.S.: Thanks to Mark for his wordsmithery on this!)