How to LA
I have twenty years of experience driving and have driven in at least twenty countries and many more cities. However, driving in LA recently made me feel like I was new to the roads.
The cars, all size XL, and even bigger trucks, rushed by me on the freeway like the wind, leaving my car shaking gently from side to side. The maze of freeways, intersecting and crossing over each other, like spaghetti tangled up together, made me realize how different driving is here. At one point, I felt like I was driving up a roller coaster slope, and as my gaze took in the sights from the top of the highway, to my surprise, my belly began to feel queasy and my legs began to shake lightly, as my fear of heights got triggered. While in a car on a highway.
Driving in LA was reflective of a culture that’s in a hurry…to sit in traffic. A hurry-up-to-wait comical scene, replayed countless times for the locals, on a daily basis. I could feel the energy that everyone was in a rush to get somewhere, and get there now. It didn’t feel great and made me wonder why the hurry, all the time.
It also helped me appreciate the more relaxed pace of daily living I have been enjoying in Sydney and Lisbon for most of this year. I take for granted and even sometimes complain in Portugal how everything and everyone can seem so slow at times. Yet after being on the highways of LA for a mere hour, I was craving for things to slow down.
At one point, I pulled up in a parking lot to take a break and went into a store. As I stepped out of the car, I heard yelling about ten feet from me. There was a man speaking loudly while wobbling in the street, alone, clearly suffering from some illness or challenge. A panhandler then approached me from the other side. And as I took in this neighborhood, I realized I did not feel safe.
I can’t remember the last time I felt unsafe in my surroundings. A privilege that I have long enjoyed and I realized in that moment, I often take it for granted. When in a space that I do not feel safe in or feel rushed in, my mind is no longer free and my body is no longer relaxed. My sympathetic nervous system, also known as the fight-or-flight response system, is fully activated, releasing cortisol, the stress hormone, to prepare my body to defend itself against perceived or imaginary threats.
A decade of consistent mindfulness practice has helped me tune into the sensations and changes my mind and body experience in near real-time.
At that moment, I noticed that my breath began to shorten and became shallow. My shoulders tensed up. My jaw clenched. My body temperature rose. And my eyes opened wider as I took in all of my surroundings.
And at that moment - I knew I needed some comfort, and I knew exactly where I would find it. An authentic Mexican restaurant.
As I walked in, the smells, sounds and sights took me back to childhood. As a family growing up, my sister and I would love to go to Mexican restaurants with our parents and we would often cook the cuisine at home. The familiar flavors and spices provided a warm hug when I needed it, and allowed me to relax.
There are so many ways to find comfort, be it people, places or in my case that day in LA, the food.
While this recent trip made me realize that I didn’t love being in LA, I did appreciate how my short experience there helped me appreciate what I already have, but often fail, or forget, to recognize. A reminder that I can find meaning and value in every experience I have. I just have to look for it.
And that is how I learned to LA.
