Learning to Slow Down

Ever since I got my car, I understood a little about what Gatsby felt like sitting behind the wheel of his yellow Rolls Royce. There's something about driving that feels so nice, it makes you feel like you're in control, the road spanning for miles and miles straight ahead like it belongs to you. Although my car may not be as nice, I still get the same feeling that Gatsby gets when he drives through west egg, his engine roaring louder than the gossip around him.

In the Great Gatsby, cars show more than wealth. Cars can show how each person's personality is different. Take Gatsby for example, his Rolls Royce is bright and colorful, almost impossible to not see. Tom Buchanan on the other hand, his car matches his attitude, he drives with arrogance and power and his car is built to dominate. 

Sometimes when I'm out driving with my friends, we will mess around here and there. Maybe joke around, maybe speed a little bit, and once in a while have some fun. Now that I think about it, mostly everyone drives just like how they live, fast, reckless, and focusing on appearance. It's like they are speeding through life without knowing what they could crash into.

When I drive at night sometimes I catch myself doing the same thing, chasing something so hard and so out of reach that I forget to slow down and realize what's actually in front of me and appreciate it. That's what Gatsby has taught me so far, that it's okay to reach far and dream big, but sometimes the real enjoyment is in the drive, not just the destination.