Your Voice: Enjoy the ride, regardless of your stage of life

A few years ago, I took a taxi while on a family trip to Europe. I noticed a sign at the top of the car’s windshield in big bold letters: “Enjoy the ride.” 

I joked with the taxi driver, asking him what would make us enjoy a ride with him, in particular, versus any other driver. He smiled, and I quickly realized his attitude was excellent and that he was a good driver and enjoyed his job. 

I knew right away that I would enjoy the ride.

In a perfect world, all taxi drivers would be courteous and cautious. They would follow traffic regulations, and customers would never have to worry about the condition of the vehicle or driver capabilities. We should be able to focus on enjoying the scenery and learning about the place we are visiting.

This made me think that perhaps we should consider the different stages of our lives as though they were taxi rides — with us as the driver. Whether long or short, each journey will come to an end, and our behaviors, actions, and outlook should be examples for others who are along for the ride. 

We should maintain our car well, fixing what we can, but without focusing on trivial matters that are beyond our control. If the paint is peeling during some of our later journeys, so what? Enjoy each stage: feel how the seats become more comfortable as time goes on; enjoy gauging the car’s optimum speed; find out which roads are most suitable. 

We should experiment to gain knowledge and experience, but recognize that life has risks, so we should drive carefully. Let’s learn from our wrong turns. And as we mature, we should drop our selfish habits that can prevent others from enjoying the ride. It is selfish and senseless to speed while driving, for example, putting the lives of others at risk for little or no reward.

Most of us have gone through challenging times and been exposed to difficulties and failures. Perhaps we need to take our car to the garage from time to time, rather than toiling over repairs that are beyond our capabilities. 

Sometimes, we will have to wait in traffic. The main objective is to keep moving forward — even if we have to reverse and turn around now and again — and to ensure those who are riding with us can enjoy as much of the ride as possible.

Your Voice reflects the thoughts and opinions of the writer, and not necessarily those of the publication.