In my childhood, I remember watching the Goofy cartoon about traffic, a Disney animation in which he turns into an angry person behind the wheel. That shift in mood as soon as he got into a car made a deep impression on me.

Now, as an adult, I find myself managing my inner Goofy and, at times, I notice his strength growing while I drive. When I am aware that he is in charge, I recognize how inappropriate he is.

In the news and in everyday traffic, I see people attacking others and breaking rules and laws because they are focused solely on their own interests: many Goofys driving their lives.

In driving school, we learn to drive focused on ourselves and on everything around us, anticipating our own movements and those of others, which we call defensive driving. This practice applies not only to traffic but to life as a whole.

From my point of view, connecting with yourself and with the context can make all the difference. This connection allows me to recognize the factors that can pull me away from the present moment and truly live what is happening.

I think of behaviors such as turning without signaling and ignoring the speed limit because I am late or in a hurry, or simply because I want to reach my destination quickly.

Driving a car and managing your own life both require work and patience.

Part of this process is staying attentive to myself and to my vulnerabilities, which increases my willingness and my ability to observe other people’s behavior and the context in order to anticipate what may happen in our interactions, leading us to the most attuned relationship possible, one that respects the time and movements of the people around us.

Driving a vehicle and conducting a life both mean respecting my limits and others’, following the rules of good coexistence, practicing kindness and being patient with my own time and that of others.

Adjusting my inner dialogue may allow me, instead of simply wanting to reach life’s final destination by running over whoever is in the way, to enjoy the beautiful scenery, interactions and situations that will take me there.

After all, it is about the paths that lead us to our destinations and how willing we are to live each part of this journey, sharing the road with the people we love and respecting the strangers we meet along the way.