Trust The Process

Formula One Grand Prix, Circuit Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Photo Credit: Abbey Swaim

Most of the cab drivers in Brussels, Belgium are Moroccan. They speak French and Dutch by necessity and Moroccan at home. They don’t typically speak English. But when climbing into the cab I would always utter the magical words, Steve McQueen. I then found myself in the front seat of the cab with my new best friend. Most of these guys are young and probably fancy themselves the next undiscovered Formula One race car driver at Spa, the nearby track. (Thanks to Sam Jones for this pro tip) The next 20 minutes in the cab with Steve McQueen, and the next 25 Euros, are spent at the mercy of the young North African behind the wheel working his heart out to impress his new BFF, better known as me.

The streets of Brussels are tight, and then not, maybe giving way to massive, chaotic, traffic circles. The streets are often cobbled so they have a little Oregon Trail feel to them which adds texture, and excitement. The distractions on the road are constant, bikes, pedestrians, buses. They go in every direction, and so do the roads. They are not laid out in a grid and are often unmarked. When they are marked, they are in French and Dutch of course. And with a skyline surrounding you, you are never sure what direction you are going. Disorientation sets in pretty quickly.

Riding in a cab in a different country is exhilarating to say the least. A real-life Mr. Toad’s wild ride. Second only to driving down Nampa-Caldwell Blvd at rush hour with my father-in-law!

All that stimulus coming at you at once while riding in a cab, can be quite disorienting. Not car sick, just car lost, out-of-control, upside down, backwards. But I found myself increasingly trusting the process. This was not their first rodeo. These guys don’t need to know my life story, they need to know where I want to go. I learned to be grateful that somebody, the driver, knew where we were going. I knew where I wanted to go and trusted him to get us there as quickly as possible even with all the above-mentioned obstacles. JUST GET ME THERE!

Consider this alternative scenario:

I jump in a cab and then tell Mr. Speedy where I want to go. And then I have him pull over so I can get a waffle. I ask him to turn down a street that I have no idea where it goes. Maybe my friend said I should turn there.  And then we stop because I think we we’re getting close to our destination, and I want to save money, only to have to call him back because I am lost. And maybe he should put two hands on the wheel. And maybe he should quit fiddling with his phone. Maybe I have been on google maps and feel myself qualified to make recommendations. You get the idea, I never let the poor guy do his job. I keep complicating the process and wondering why I’m not at my destination. I never trust the process.

Here is the point:

Trusting the process is a decision you make. And the faster you make it, the better for everyone.

In our office, we often speak a language you may be unfamiliar with. We do things that maybe don’t quite make sense to you. “What is that little clicky thing anyway?” We might ask you to do things at home contradicting what you have been taught. Maybe you have been fishing around for answers on google, maybe you have a friend who had the “exact same thing”. Maybe you want to give us more information than is helpful. And then we ask you for money instead of insurance! All of this can be a little disorienting. The streets don’t make sense, and the driver is going-like-mad.

I get it. But this is not our first rodeo either.

Once we are underway, in the office, we don’t need a lot of extra information to get you to your destination. We really only need to know, “Where would you like to go?” And then we need your cooperation to get you there. Get in and let’s go! Follow the plan. Not following the plan we have laid out for you is like asking the cab driver to pull over, and then being frustrated we are no closer to our destination. Don’t complicate the process.

Friends, if you are struggling with unresolved health issues, tell us where you want to go and then get in! Trust the process! You can’t leave one foot on the ground and get there; you have to get all the way in the cab and forfeit control.

Trust the process.

Cheers,

ks

PS- On our final ride to the airport, the last of our rides with another “Steve McQueen”, Toto blaring the ubiquitous early 80’s hit “Africa”, the young driver driving 6 inches from the car in front of us the whole way there, the audible gasps of Abbey and Mrs. Swaim coming from the back seat, jumped out, got us a luggage cart, and then gave me a huge hug! I couldn’t believe it! I hadn’t had that much fun since riding with grandpa! Cheers to that nameless Moroccan who made my day.