My mind is like a tour bus on a day trip to the seaside with noisy passengers. There are expectations, a route and a destination. Circumstances might dictate a detour and delays. Questions arise. Who decides which way to go? The passengers have opinions, the driver decides which gear to use and to steer left or right at each turn. Others disagree, making complaints without alternate solutions. Unreasonable demands to stop the bus immediately for comfort breaks will add time to the trip. “Drive faster…the trip is ruined…might as well go home…” are whispers and shouts, equally distracting.
There is always traffic ahead. Should the driver listen? Discuss the options, or follow the itinerary? Put the head phones on? The voices continue. “Who hired this driver anyway? He’s an idiot.”
I dream a lot, make plans and set off down the road with the best of intentions. Before the first turn the list of things that should have been done before leaving gets mentioned. Was this vital thing packed? What if xyz happens? The driver reminds the passengers that the checklist was done already and starts the music. Paraglider by Hans Gunther Kolz on loop might just quieten the rowdies, but someone at the front is whispering about next weeks schedule and a voice at the back is suddenly arguing over something that happened last year. An idiot reminds everyone about something not relevant that happened in the 1980’s. The driver steers on, taking in the surroundings, reading the road and enjoying the sunshine. We have to get there, focus on that difficult bridge to the guitar solo as the car with blacked out windows overtakes on the inside. Reality cuts through the noise, albeit briefly, muffling the narrative.
The question of who is driving the bus is a persistent one. A near endless inner narrative overlayed with multiple music tracks expends a lot of energy. Once started the “Whys” become the soundtrack. Laughter from the driver, “Quiet at the back.” Allowing the passengers to make too much noise outside of deliberate planning days is the cause of all the noise.
Exploring this train of thought has reminded me of the formal process that Edward de Bono’s book Six thinking hats identified. I used it for a while when I was a teenager and worth re-visting it now. It’s a good way to reduce the passengers to a committee allowed to present just facts and figures, positive ideas, negative comments, emotional concerns and lateral thinking. The driver pulls it all together to identify the destinations and route.
I have a blueprint of what I want my life to be. The noise, surprises and prevailing circumstances encountered along the way have changed the route but not the destination. It’s worth stopping the bus occasionally to eject some of the passengers that have travelled past their stop. Others might find themselves on the luggage rack with their mouths taped shut.
See you down the road.
