My neighbor and I had a chat about our frustrations with the way people drive in our neighborhood. Yes, its recently exasperated due to construction, but also, its been this way for a long time even before the construction.
Between that neighbor and others, we practice various strategies for 1 – keeping our kids safe, 2 – getting out of our own driveway, and 3 – requesting police support for safer roads that surround our homes.
Though I wasn’t always this way, I am now hypervigilant when I drive. I make it a point to go the seemingly ridiculous slow speeds when visiting other small towns, and when approaching other neighborhoods similar to mine. That’s because I now know those limits and stop signs are not just there to look pretty.
In my quest to practice what I preach I’ve come to enjoy being tailgated down my own street all the way up to my own driveway.
And most recently I’ve learned to enjoy the literal 2 second break (2 seconds people!) that is required when there is a big, tall, red stop sign in front of me.
Here are 8 reasons why you might also enjoy stopping at a stop sign.
1. It’s built in time to practice gratitude.
If nothing else, you can be grateful that you didn’t hit anyone with your car today.
2. Its the perfect allotment of time to practice that box breathing that our kids talk about.
It takes about 2 seconds to get halfway through the box, which is one inhale and one exhale. Take the 4 seconds to do the entire box if you want to be an overachiever.
3. You can have a 2-second brainstorm about how you can change your routine to leave 2 seconds earlier next time.
I think about how maybe I should fill the kids water bottles the day before, or let them get grab n’ go lunch if I don’t have time to make one.
4. It feels good to do something nice for others.
Dopamine is released when we practice kindness. The simple act of doing something nice for another can truly add to your day.
5. Its an opportunity to be a good neighbor.
Inside the homes that you pass by everyday are are your friends, teammates, and fellow community members. Being within the confines of a car can desensitize us to the point that we behave in a way that we would neve face-to-face.
We need to care for our community members so that our community is the kind, safe, cooperative, and respectful place we want it to be.
6. I can enjoy the neck stretch that comes from looking left, then right, before I accelerate.
This is a stretch (pun intended!) but its one of the benefits I’ve actually found when I take the time to truly stop. Its the practice we learned in drivers ed. and its a good one to have. You never know who will come zooming around the corner.
7. It gives you time to stop and smell the roses.
Life has become too fast-paced. Do we even notice our surroundings anymore? There’s a beautiful tall pine tree at the corner of n. cedar and e.riverside that shines at sunset, along with 3 active boys that make almost every shot they take in their front yard basketball hoop. Take a few seconds to enjoy the scenery that surrounds you.
8. Finally, its a time to re-evaluate our life and our values.
In those couple of seconds I can ask myself. Is this behavior aligned with my values of being a good parent, and a contributing member of the community? Do I want to be someone who is always stressed? What may I need to remove from my life? Do I want to add to the reason less children are playing outside these days? Am I okay with my children seeing me drive this way? Do I want to be someone who doesn’t have 2-seconds to breathe in a day?