An Angel in Disguise: Instead of a Speeding Ticket, a State Trooper Gave Me This

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There are moments in life that we never forget.
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We look back upon them, wondering if the Universe had arranged it just for us.
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One such moment took place many years ago.
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A MESSENGER IN DISGUISE
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My family and I were living in Houston at the time, and we were on our way to visit relatives in Arizona during the holidays. The easiest way to get there by car is to take Interstate 10 straight across Texas, heading west. My girls were still toddlers at the time, and my wife was dozing off in the passenger seat, settling in for the long drive ahead.
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Knowing that the trip would take forever, I was anxious to make good time, and was driving just over the speed limit.
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Then, two cars that seemed to be following each other passed me, going about 90 mph.  I decided, “hey, if they can go that fast, so can I!”  So I pulled in behind them and followed them, also going 90 mph.  At the time, I foolishly thought, “I’m behind them, so if a cop is going to pull somebody over for speeding, it will be the two cars in front!”
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Boy was I wrong!
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About ten minutes after I had started following the other two cars, I saw a state trooper with its lights on, following me, so I slowly pulled over to the side and stopped. We were somewhere between Houston and San Antonio, so we were still just getting started on our long road trip. “Great!” I thought. “What a way to start out a long trip!”  Needless to say, my wife was not pleased with me.
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After showing my driver’s license and my insurance to the state trooper, he asked me to step out of the car, so I followed him to the back of our car, nervous about getting a speeding ticket. He had very blonde hair, almost yellow in color, and the brightest, clearest blue eyes I have ever seen. There was a glimmer in his eyes, even though his face was stern, which struck me as odd.  He asked me, “Why were you speeding?”
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Not having a good response, I hemmed and hawed, and finally said, “Well, you see, I was just following the other two cars.  They were speeding as well, so I thought I could just follow them.”
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The officer looked me square in the eyes, with his bright blue sparkling eyes. From his appearance and demeanor, I could have sworn that I was talking to somebody not from this world! He told me something to extent of, “Don’t do things just because other people are doing them. Follow your own way; be true to yourself.”
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He then proceeded to let me go with just a warning.
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BE TRUE TO YOURSELF

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Wow.
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I could not believe it. Not only did I not get a speeding ticket when I was clearly speeding, but the trooper’s message hit home, in my gut.
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At some level, I already knew what he was saying to be true … as a loner, I generally tend to do my own thing anyways.  It seemed like the one time I had decided to blindly follow others, I had been given a stern but gentle warning—don’t!
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Needless to say, I did not speed the rest of the trip to Arizona.
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Ever since then, I have been ever-conscious of not blindly following others, but instead, processing information for myself and deciding what to do with it for myself. I have been warned, and next time I may not be so lucky.
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His message really applies to all of us: don’t follow others, but follow your own path.  Make decisions for yourself. Don’t just go with the flow, or with whatever is trendy or mainstream at the time. Follow what you know to be true and right in your own heart.
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This is true in pretty much every aspect of our lives: in our faith and spirituality; our relationships; our politics; our careers, and so on.
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Be true to yourself.  Follow your own heart and mind.

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So … are there areas where you may be following others blindly?

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Do you follow your heart—even if it goes against what others say?
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Do you follow what you know is right, and live with integrity?

 

 

Known as the Be at Peace Coach, José de la Torre works with clients helping them achieve their goals and find peace by working with their minds, emotions and energy in a holistic fashion. He is author of Spiritual Living for Busy People, and also practices and teaches Qi Gong. Please contact him at peace-coach.com