When I typed the title of this blog piece, I observed my phones autocorrect almost get irritated with me as it repeatedly squiggled in red that ‘laneing’ is not a word!
Who said huh?
Hear me out and you can decide for yourself.
One afternoon last week, I sat in my car practicing mindful breathing whilst grid locked in Melbourne’s traffic.
I don’t often sit in traffic, and nor do I sit there practicing mindful breathing, but I thought it could be a great opportunity to practice what I preach in chapter 4 of my book- ‘Simblissity, a blissful guide to simple living one step at a time’! (My first book plug… how’d I go??)
Ok, so whilst taking slow deep belly breaths, I began to notice what I was thinking about. My mind was drifting into 1002 different directions and I simply watched the content like subtitles on a foreign movie.
The traffic crept forward 50 centimetres, and as if my car was driving itself, it also crept forward 50 centimetres in sync with Mr. trade man’s ute in the lane next to me.
Ok, Ok, back to the thoughts…
My thought content was drifting from friends, to family, to work, to students, to gym, to friends, to family, to dating, to family, to the boy riding his bike ‘against’ the traffic with a sweet grin on his face as he watched us all overheat in our cars.
Another 150 centimetres of movement occurred, yet this time my vehicle slightly crept over the white line of Mr trade man’s lane beside me.
He gave me a gentle beep and wave reminding me that my mindful breathing traffic practice… SUCKS!
I smiled, giggled and signalled an apology whilst returning to my own lane.
This small moment made me enquire into my thought subtitles a little more. I reflected on the content and realised how much of my thinking and energy was to do with other’s and their lives (lanes) rather than my own. So much so, I crept into old mate’s lane physically as I crept into my family and friend’s lane mentally.
I said out loud…
‘Luca, stay in your own lane babe’!
Own Laneing is a made-up term that essentially means keeping your thoughts and energy on the lane you are in (AKA- your own life) as much as possible. By doing this we can be much more wholesome and present in our lane, whilst allowing and trusting others to be wholesome and present in theirs also. How freeing is that?!
Something really beautiful happened as I guided my thoughts and energy back to my own lane, I felt this relief and lightness wash over me, as if I’d just lied back on my towel after a refreshing dip in mama ocean.
I was present and more vital in the moment (even though I was still in the thick of traffic). Nothing had changed except the direction of my thoughts and energy from out there, back to my own life n lane!
The crazy paradox is, the more in our own lane we are, the more love and ease we would be able to enJOY and share with each other.
So what do you think?
Own laneing?
Are you onboard? In your own lane kind of way of course!
Simple bliss 💛
SimBLISSity 