Maile Hunt
Growing up, I had a friend who loved cars—speed, cutting-edge engineering, and raw power were just a few of the things that thrilled him. In racing, the ultimate goal is pretty straightforward: cross the finish line first. Speed is often seen as the turbo boost that gets you there, but did you know braking can actually be the secret weapon to victory lane? Drivers with exceptional speed can shave fractions of a second off turns and straightaways, create leads that affect their opponents’ confidence, and find surprise passing opportunities on the track. But a driver who never slows down can run into turn mishaps, experience balance issues, and have trouble processing what is happening around them. The need for speed is everywhere, and it is not just on the racetrack. It is there when we wake up and scramble to get ready, when we turn on the news and everything feels urgent, when we are at work and new projects are due yesterday, when we are trying to relax but the pile of dishes guilts us into believing we are lazy, and even when we are sneaking in a late-night snuggle with our spouse and get an unexpected knock on the door. We are living in a world that makes us feel like we need to do more in less time, as if the fast pace we are already living is still not fast enough. And it makes me wonder: what are we racing for, and is it time to get our brakes checked?
Being a stay-at-home mom has taught me one of life’s greatest lessons: the most meaningful moments are often found in the slowness of things, but the need for speed can keep us from experiencing them. Just like on the racetrack, parenthood is a high-speed journey but failing to slow down can blur important details often hidden on the sides that matter most to the big picture.
I had my first beautiful baby girl eighteen years ago. I remember that day so clearly- excited and scared all at once. Not knowing what to expect was nerve-racking. What would the pain be like? Would I be okay? Would my baby have all ten toes? How long would it take? My mind felt like a battlefield, with questions and emotions battling it out in this soon-to-be mom. During my pregnancy, I remember being obsessed with the show A Baby Story. It was an early-2000 reality series that followed couples through pregnancy and delivery, and it made the process look smooth, predictable, and sweet—everything my experience was not. My water broke in the Old Navy parking lot, my hair was a mess, and I hemorrhaged after delivery. Now, this week, that same little baby moved into her college dorm. The days leading up to it brought back a rush of memories and the bittersweet realization that she is no longer my baby, but a young woman building her own path, making her own choices, and stepping into the world.
Move-in day was busy—long car lines to unload, boxes everywhere, and hallways full of people. When we reached her room and stepped inside, it felt like all that busyness slowed down. Helping her organize, make her bed, and set up her things felt surprisingly calm and it was fun. We laughed, joked, cried, and hugged but nothing we did was rushed. I was so grateful for that time we had together.
Watching her grow alongside her younger sister has been a heart-filling, emotional, and humbling journey. There have been plenty of ordinary days I remember hurrying through—school mornings, swim practices, errands, dinners, messes, and punctual bedtimes. At the time, those moments did not always feel important. They sometimes felt repetitive and routine. Looking back, however, those were the moments that strengthened our family bond the most and created lifelong memories we now carry with us like mile markers on the track, reminding us that the slow laps mattered just as much as the fast ones.
Over the course of these 51 years, I’ve come to believe that it is important to look at life as less linear. Instead of always choosing the fastest route, there is value in taking the alternate one—the one that is more deliberate, more intentional, and sometimes slower than we planned. There is a famous saying in the racing world, “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” Hasty movements make the car unstable. Smooth movements make the car fast. Being rushed makes you stressed and inattentive. As a result, we miss the details right in front of us because we are already thinking about the next thing. Before we realize it, those small, beautiful moments have flown by.
In what feels like the blink of an eye, the baby you once held is carrying boxes into a dorm room. The little girl who needed you for everything is learning how to need you differently. It is beautiful, and hard, and it makes time feel even more precious.
Time is the most precious thing we have. It is within time that memories are made, relationships are nurtured, and the beauty around us is noticed and appreciated. Yet if time is all we really have, why are we always trying to rush through it? When we move too quickly we forget to pay attention. We are less engaged, less present, and less able to recognize the meaning in front of us. Precious moments become less memorable not because they mattered less, but because we never gave ourselves the chance to fully be there. Sometimes, the only way to hold on to what matters is to slow down long enough to notice it.
So, while car racing and living may sometimes share the fast lane the prize at the end is different. Trophies are meant for display while memories are made to fulfill our hearts. Each of us is the driver of our own car and we decide the best speed to navigate our journey. Choose your lane wisely and remember that racing to brake is within your control. Brakes are not there to hold us back after all. They are there to help us make the turns that matter most.
