Cruise Control and Additional Auto-Knowledge.


At the start of the Summer, a brother of mine (biological) and I went to an epic concert down at the Mann Music Center to experience The Nationals perform. I had blogged about it previously on Bierkergaard. Front row and center. The lead singer took my iPhone and filmed two minutes of on-stage footage. Pretty epic.

On the drive down to the Mann, my brother mentioned (suggested) that I use Cruise Control, which I disdained. Philly-area is active in-your-face driving. However, I did make a mental note that Cruise Control was certainly an under-underutilized feature of my automobile. Most of my driving doesn't lend itself to Cruise Control. Yet, I considered that I should use should the opportunity manifest itself.

I had the prime opportunity going North in Pa and West in New York State last weekend. Large swaths of straight highway particularly in NY with NY State Troopers manning the garrison, where staying within the posted speed limits was wise. I turned on the Cruise Control and dedicated myself instead to keep an eye for Deer crossing the road. Every five mile or so, over a 70 mile stretch, there was a auto-tenderized Deer in the shoulder. Plus, a gruesome trail of blood and guts for a hundred feet. At least 100 feet.

I told my buddy in Buffalo that New York State really needed to find a more economical herd-thinning plan. Very few Deer have no fault insurance.

So, my use of Cruise Control was to free my mind up for that pressing (literally) duty of Deer-ID. I did ponder how "Cruise-Control" and the related term of  "Auto-Pilot" are considered negative labels. Like someone "mailing it" in. AND, it can be. However, Cruise Control, getting things into a routine--like Devotional Reading, Prayer, Working-Out--is half the solution. We do certain important tasks routinely and repetitively, to free our mind up for more challenging cognitive tasks. Asymmetrical Deer for example. 

The last 5 years or so, I have worked hard to establish healthy habits and routines that are less reliant on will and more reliant on repetition and habit. I just do it  and don't think much about it.  Setting my iPhone alarm to start a escalation in my lifting. We will see if it sticks. More next week on auto-knowledge.       

                      

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