Some of you may understand that your left foot used to do something while driving.  Mostly only the older people really understand this phenomenon.  It’s true younger people who love sporty cars have manual stick shifts by choice, but it used the be the main option unless you had a fancy automatic transmission (or live outside the US).

The above history lesson is mostly irrelevant except the fact that my mind thinks in “gears.”  Not spinning gears as much as performance gears.

The reason I’ve been thinking about gears (frequently) lately is that I feel as though I’m stuck in 3^rd gear.  I’m just moving along in my days and weeks and all is well.  However, I just can’t seem to punch it and get into 4^th, never mind 5^th gear.

Let me explain my gearing definitions:

1. Creeping
2. Putzing
3. Moving
4. Cruising
5. Flying

So, using the scale above, I seem to be in the moving speed.  I’m not putzing along, nor am I cruising.  I’m just moving along day-to-day doing what I need to do, adding a few extra tasks, and quite often taking it pretty easy.  If it weren’t for my extremely consistent workouts (which are at basic standard effort), I would probably be nearing 2^nd gear putzing speed much of the time.

I’ve written about the Covid forced SloGo and how interesting it was (is again?) to see what the slow-life may look like.  A FIRE friend said it’s “like they are living as 80 year-olds right now.” 

I’ve seen articles from some writers about their levels of depression increasing somewhat.  They are somewhat in the doldrums and just feel life’s dragging a little.  I don’t feel depressed (I guess?).  But I do feel as if there is no GoGo happening in me right now, or at least that I am not jumping into all kinds of activities.

We re-entered the world around us in late April after our 2^nd vaccines doses kicked in.  We did a road trip and have been to multiple states and explored.  I’ve been to the actual gym and even stores without concern.  As I write this I’m preparing my hockey gear for my first skate in 17 months.  It should have occurred after 13 months, but I was traveling the past few months.

So, I’m wondering, will things feel a little more GoGo this afternoon at/after hockey?  Will I inherently increase from a planned easy going get re-introduced to the ice game?  Will I, as usual, skate as hard as I can on every rush (and backcheck hard too-I’m not lazy) and push for 5^th gear?  And, if so, will those 5^th gear efforts kick start my engine and motivation drive to push into 4^th and 5^th gear more often now? 

I sure hope so.

*** Nothing in this article is to be construed as financial advice.  I am not a financial planner, nor do I pretend to be.  You should always consult your own professional when seeking advice. This post is not a piece of literary mastery, just a random thought I had.