Asleep At The Wheel

Maybe you’ve been there. Not quite too tired to leave, but as you journey on your eyes get heavier, you get tunnel vision, you suddenly catch yourself nodding and terror wakes you right up. For a little while anyway.

Maybe you open the window, turn up the music or slap your cheeks.  Or maybe you phone a friend. “Talk to me.” You say, I’m falling asleep and I have to get ____________.

Either way, you know you should just pull over and take a nap until you’re ok, but for some reason you can’t or won’t.

Winning The Battle To Lose The War

But, why? Why do we continue on in a situation when we are not equipped to do it well and messing up could have deadly consequences. Why do we take the chance when so much is at stake? Sleepy driving is, in many respects, just as dangerous as driving under the influence. But, there aren’t huge ad campaigns against it. In fact, someone driving tired can often feel morally superior to a drunk driver, “Oh, I would never drive drunk!”

Excuses, Excuses

I’ve made excuses like, it’s only a few more minutes until I get home. There’s nowhere to pull over, or my favorite, It’s ok, I can do this! That one may be the biggest problem of all.

How often have I continued to do something in life whether for work or family for which I should have been more alert? How often have I “been asleep” at the proverbial wheel? Is it a Mom thing? A traumatic youth thing? A martyr thing? Whatever it is – for me – it’s a bad thing.

Time To Regroup

Driving tired will make you miss your exit, have you veering out of your lane, slowing down when you should be speeding up – speeding up when you should be slowing down, or make you react to situations or opportunities too late. Driving tired through life will do the same.

It’s ok to regroup, take a rest stop, stretch those legs and recharge. When opportunities come – you want to be alert enough to recognize them and make that turn to the on-ramp.

Psalm 127:2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.