Apparently some insurance group claims that 62% of all distracted driving accidents can be blamed on the “seemingly innocuous act of being ‘lost in thought’ “. Furthermore, it is supposed to be even more dangerous than texting.
Well, I doubt that especially when the definition of distracted driving is “any activity that takes your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or mind off the primary task of driving”. As far as I’m concerned, that is texting. But that’s beside the point. My first reaction to what this insurance agent had to say and all I could possibly think about was – How Would Walter Mitty Respond ?
In case you didn’t know, Walter Mitty is the amazing main character in the short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber. Unfortunately Walter Mitty leads a mundane life constantly belittled by his overbearing wife. Hmm… . Life does imitate fiction. Anyway, in order to cope the dude mentally escapes, imagining himself in desperate situations. Then, he saves the day.
Been there, done that. Correction. Still there, doing that!
In Walter Mitty’s defense (and my own, of course) countless self-help books focus on the fact that this IS what you should do to succeed; imagine yourself in positive situations. Take me for example. I am constantly imaging myself at book signings with hoards of people frantically pining for my autograph. Better yet, my book My Life As A Retail Pharmacist – A Fictionalized Memoir is number one on the New York Times Best Seller List. By the way, if you haven’t purchased a copy, please help this cause. Click that little book cover icon on the upper right. Still only $3.49!
All I know is that if I didn’t Walter Mitty my life I’d be … challenged. Especially at work. My God, if only those people knew what I was really thinking. Rest assure I do concentrate on the tasks at hand and maintain professionalism while doing so. But after that, it’s up for grabs, man.
To continue would be … mundane? But I will leave one last thought, though. I am truly convinced that Walter Mitty officially coined the phrase reality sucks. And if he did so while he was driving, which I’m certain he did, both hands would have been on the wheel, looking directly at the road before him.
