Midnight. Highway stretches for eternity. Windows down, sunroof up; drone of the engine pumping with a a cosmic energy and wind flowing past my ears. Dirty windshield obscures vision slightly as it is like a dense haze or fog affixed to glass. Slightly chilly yet still very humid. Odd sensation of small goosebumps and sticky weather makes for a sensitive feeling.
The steering wheel is cold yet an old pleasant faithful friend. Its brother; the shift knob, is smooth, chilled, and moistened as my clammy hands grip it. My right leg trembles with exhaustion with sitting still with slight pressure against the pedal.
What a beautiful moment. Headlights from afar peer into my window; obscured. The light creates a heliocentric ring of scattered and diffused rays. All too familiar yet so beautiful. The drone of the engine resounds a pressure in my chest. So comfortable to be soothed by the waves of sound wash over me.
Stars glisten above like pearls on a black sheet. I have seen the stars hundreds of times yet they beam brightly into my eyes tonight. Trees zoom by in droves seemingly innumerable. The smell of pine wafts in my metallic cocoon every now and then.
A voice calls from the back of my head "Come with me." I smile and respond with a quick kick of my left foot and a south-western motion of my right hand followed by a release of the left foot and hammering down with the right. Suddenly, the engine whines and hisses with the rotation of turbine blades ramming air through the engine. My body is pressed firmly against the seat, which grabs me and coddles me like an infant.
Within a few seconds I am well beyond legal and safe limits; yet, it feels so good, so right. The stars blur, the trees wane out of comprehension, and tactile sensations go out the window. All that matters is the tunnel view of the open road and the explosive roar of the exhaust.
The shiver fades away, the clammy knob dissipates. The steering wheel transforms from friend to foe as it attempts to wrestle control from me. The motor pushes too much power to the wheels and the car yanks and bucks back and forth like a drunk man walking a straight line. The stallions once captive neigh like a wild storm.
I find a center in me. Its quiet, calm, and innocent. The mind goes blank and empty. This is it, this is beauty, this is Zen. Sated, I let the engine slow itself. The car returns from chaos and turmoil to complacent and contained. Temporary universal chaotic motion always will caress the inner me and refuel me like a sort of soul battery.
Sensation returns. Trees focus into tall stalks of plant rather than a seeming wall. Stars come into view from a blur and again glisten beautifully. The shiver returns as well; yet, its so nice to feel my skin contracting and holding me tight. My palms even more clammy than before relax from the tense gripping of the wheel and the shift knob. My joints wrench apart from the force of the grip.
The wind is audible again and in this moment I am whole. You can shed your person, your being, and become one with the world. Returning to your body is like being born again. A union between spirit and body is a wonderful thing. Colors are brighter, the leather is so soft and the aluminum is cold. The headlights peering in are a welcomed firework display of scattered light.
Delightful!
