Hybrids and Humans

I have fallen in love with a car!  A car!

This hybrid beauty recently carried me, my wife, one large suitcase, assorted hand bags, a large cooler and a variety of other absolute necessities from Arizona to Texas in complete comfort at 52.4 miles per gallon.  My heart beats faster at the thought!  Bar graphs dance across the instrument panel depicting gas consumption while other fascinating gauges and dials announce electric battery capacity and all the things a driver needs to know while cruising along a broad Texas highway.  Not having driven a hybrid before, I read the manual and consulted friends who own one and got all the advice available to make the trip a good driving test.  One thing I learned quickly is that the car’s batteries recharge each time the driver eases off the accelerator or when the brake pedal is pushed to slow down or stop.  Sure enough, up goes the bar graph when my foot comes off the gas pedal and when actually coasting downhill at 70 mph the bar jumps to 100% fuel saving.  Pinch me…I must be dreaming!

Reliving these breathtaking moments after returning home to Arizona, it occurred to me that letting off the gas pedal has a personal application, too.  I’m certainly a poster boy for being busy and staying active, but once in a while I pay the price for pushing my own gas pedal too hard and too long.  Clearly there is value and benefit gained from easing off the gas…clearer perspective, renewed energy, rested spirit.  It’s okay to coast periodically…even to come to a complete stop.  Everyone’s battery needs recharging.

The principle applies to hybrids and humans.