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How do you park your car?

By Robert Clements. Dated: 7/27/2017 11:40:25 PM

I do believe, all our driving skills are seen, not in the speed we drive, not with our ease of overtaking, our dexterity of working our way through traffic jams, but with how you and I park our cars.
My wife and daughters grumble there's no need for me to look from my window as they bring their cars in to park or take them out. "Plan your parking!" I tell them, and slowly but surely, I've seen a change.
Yes, plan your parking in your mind. Unlike speeding and overtaking where again split-second planning is also required, here you have a little more time when you park, and planning your movement, going forward or back, how much forward, and how close to the kerb helps.
Let me hasten to assure you that I've had my awkward moments: I remember once driving from one city to another, entering my colony, then reversing my car directly onto my neighbours car!
The same ones who had accompanied me, and who had been amazed at my driving skills during the drive, now looked at each other, then looked up and crossed themselves, thanking their lucky stars they'd arrived safe!
I had driven all the way using good reflexes, but in parking, hadn't done my planning.
That's so true of life, isn't it? Without a plan, we can destroy everything in a moment or become the laughing stock of those around.
I remember a friend of mine and I once walking to his car, parked in a very crowded car park near a market area. The car was in the middle of a number of parked cars. We looked at the parking attendant helplessly and he pointed to a woman in a tucked up, matter of fact sari, who came towards us, took the key from my friend's questioning hands and then, with a dexterity that was beyond our comprehension, pushed, nudged, reversed and moved forward his car, with a skill we'd never seen ever before or seen ever since.
"How did you do it?" I asked amazed and watched as she smiled and pointed to her head.
Yes, she had done it with her mind.
But let us move from the parking lot to life. Without planning what we are going to do. How we are going to do anything, you and I can land ourselves in big trouble.
Planning isn't a waste of time. It may appear so as you stand and look at the situation in front of you, but in the end, as you succeed, as you park yourself in life into a unique position, its good planning that worked. Also remember there's a Master Planner up there who can help you on your drawing board.
Meanwhile start with your car, plan your parking, as I look out of my window and watch..!
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