Personal Growth at the Gas Pump

By Timothy W. Hooker

Happynews Citizen Journalist

These days, lots of folks are crying foul at the gas pump and for good reason. With gas prices rising faster than wages, people are left with a set of uncomfortable choices.

One, you can divert disposable income away from the things you enjoy and into the pockets of oil companies to break even on your transportation needs.

Two, you can go fewer places and keep your cash to yourself.

Three, you can go deeper in debt to temporarily have your cake and eat it, too.

Or, four, you can get past the American tendency to spend-first-and-ask-questions-later and consider how the oil squeeze can be a catalyst for self-improvement.

Call me old-fashioned, but most of the people I run into are in too big of a hurry and wound a bit too tight. Every minute is spent before it arrives. There are three jobs to go to, in addition to shopping and running the kids to band/school/sports/you-name-it. There are family members to take care of and social events to attend. There are the latest trendiest TV shows and movies to keep up with. There are yards to mow, cars to wash, and plumbing/light-fixtures/trim/siding to be fixed. And, heaven forbid we do any of this without a cell phone glued to our ears.

Though it may not be the equivalent of the still small voice that Elijah found in the wilderness, I sometimes hear Waylon Jennings singing in my mind's ear, "I don't think Hank done this way."

The insanely high gas prices have actually done some good in my life. To avoid further gouging at the pump, I find myself asking, "Do I really need to go to (fill in the blank)? Are there multiple things I can do while I'm out? Is this going to be worth the time/money/effort invested?"

More importantly, it has caused me to ask questions about my life, those nasty little questions like: "Am I on-track toward leading the kind of life I've always wanted? Am I being a good steward of the resources given me? Is what I'm investing my time/energy/money into making me and those around me happy?"

And, the answer is… "maybe."

In the gas-induced slowing down of my life, I'm hoping to do fewer things better.

I'm reading more. And, in addition to the usual magazines and pop stuff, I'm reading and re-reading the classics. Come to find out, there's a good reason why they're called classics. They're good. I mean really good.

I'm going for walks. Yes, I, Mr. Un-athletic am actually exercising… if you include doing a couple of laps at the local indoor climate-controlled shopping mall as part of the wide world of sports.

Out in the garage is a lonely soccer ball I bought a few years back, based on my false impression that running and kicking was something any dork could do. The ball remains in the garage, in its pristine, virginal, unkicked state. This leads me to my next point-- that whole "finish what you start" thing. I dare say I'm not the only one whose closets, shelves, and drawers are filled with half-started projects.

I've got a bag of Lego building blocks from when I thought I could build model spaceships based on the novel I'm writing so I could have a visual reference point. There's a fishing tackle box full of beads and other jewelry making stuff, but I never got that knotting technique down pat. Oh, and there is the mountain of "must-have" classic movies on DVD that are still sitting in their cellophane wrapping

Instead of going out and buying more stuff, I can stay home and deal with what I've already got. That's the big one, though, isn't it? Dealing with "what I've already got." I've got the sweetest, kindest, most loving, beautiful wife on the planet. I've got a mom who has been better to me than I'll ever deserve. I've got an extended family that, at the same time, makes me laugh, cry, and grow up.

Come to think of it, maybe high gas prices aren't such a bad thing.

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