It’s Friday evening. I clock out at work, walk to the parking garage, get into my car, and close the door. Then something happens.
I let down my hair, take a few big sighs, shake off the day, and start singing Shania Twain’s “(If You’re Not in It for Love) I’m Outta Here!” as I bust out of the garage.
Everything just flows from there. Song lyrics, thoughts about the day, ideas swirling in my head, and whatever else I’m thinking.
I spend most of my day on my best professional behavior. It’s not that I’m pretending to be professional or someone I’m not; I just have to be “on” for my job. My job requires a certain amount of focus, seriousness, and action all day. I have to be quick and responsive to my patients. It can leave me feeling tense and tired by the end of the day.
But in the car at the end of the day, that’s my little space to be myself and let it all go.
Even guide dogs feel the same way. When the vest is on, the dog is in full work mode. The guide dog is attentive to its owner’s needs and instructions, and it’s not to be distracted. Guide dogs can’t even go to the bathroom with their vest on.
But when the vest comes off, the dog gets to be a dog. He can run around, sniff, wander away, and even play if he wants to. He’s no longer on the job and can let loose and be himself.
I think we all wear those sorts of vests - at work, at social events, at church, and even at home with family. We have to be a certain way for the social situation.
It’s in these moments when we take our vests off that we can breathe and live a little more.
My car is that place. It’s the perfect size, small and soundproof, and a place where I can just be myself. I can take some “me” time to reflect on the day before coming home to other responsibilities.
And I think writing is another place where my vest comes off. It isn’t a physical place like my car, but when I write, I can let my thoughts wander wherever they want to go. I can say things I might not necessarily say out loud, which is what you’re reading here in these Little Notes. Maybe that’s why writing has always felt so natural to me.
I’m just myself, whether I’m writing or in my car, with a bit of Shania by my side.