Traffic Jams

It was a sunny Saturday morning. Traffic seems to be inevitable even on a weekend. Aside from the large volume of vehicles, Filipino drivers’attitude plays a big role into it. Most are taking advantage with every opportunity to beat the traffic. Changing lanes and cutting out other vehicle seems to be just an acceptable thing, as one would not hesitate to immediately change lane to gain a few meters advantage; even at the expense of the other motorists.

Despite the heavy traffic and noise outside the cab, the beauty of this particular sunny Saturday morning did not fail to give me that feeling of peace and bliss. Moreover, to listen to God’s “lecture of the day” as my eyes took in the sights as the cab slowly move towards Ortigas. I am already late for the eight o’clock call time, before the kids arrive for this summer treat. There would be around two hundred of them so I need to start my day right; I do not want to be a “sulking scary witch” in front of these children, . I would rather make thEsE few minutes worthwhile instead of having a high blood pressure due to the traffic situation.

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Our personal goals should not be an excuse so we could be unmindful about other people’s welfare. The time we devote to our personal lives or to other matters, concerning only us is definitely not a waiver so we could lose our sense of consideration and sensitivity towards other people.

Our personal schedules do not give us any exemption, privileges and/or excuses so we could be rude, selfish and inconsiderate. Being a caring human being is never contractual; it demands permanency. Our sense of service is not only a convenience; it demands continuity and spontaneity.

Most of us look at “life’s traffic” as something that could slow us down, a nuisance and an inconvenience that signifies a “bad day”. Our everyday lives are like this morning’s scenario in the road as we travel to work, school, or any other destinations. We focus too much with our personal agendas that sometimes we become unconsciously blind and unmindful of the things around us.

As we rush towards our appointments, we sometimes step on into other people’s shoes without bothering to say “Sorry”. On the other hand, we bump into someone and without slowing down; we apologize with a blurted out “sorry” or a hand signal sometimes, even without a backward glance. If only we could give a little consideration.

Any delay caused by “traffic jam” is not the fault of our fellow passengers or bystanders; therefore, no one has the right to be grumpy and/or a brat in front of other people as this kind of burst out might put on stress to other people. We do not own the world and all creatures and things in it; the world does not simply revolve around us alone.

Life’s “traffic jam” could be time for a pause and contemplation; an opportunity for us to gather and think about the things that are really important and dear to us. People and things dearest to our hearts could understand us; they could give us that much needed room and space for us to grow and find ourselves, to focus and rush towards the realization of our personal goals.

We sometimes become too comfortable with it that we tend to forget the fact that they might were no longer at phase with our strides; leaving them behind as we fought our way towards the realizations of our dreams; they may not be waiting for us at the finish line. We need to slow down for the other aspects of our lives to catch up. We might reach the peak of the mountain only to find out that it is a lonely place; because no one’s there to welcome us; no one to celebrate with us. It might be too late to find out that we are the only ones who would be there because not everything else made it… Sigh, a sad reality.

We can look at life’s “traffic jam” as a treat; a moment presented to us so we could at least notice and appreciate other aspects of our lives aside from the “one” at the center of it. Somebody told me, “Every moment is a gift”. Sometimes, “Traffic jams” are veiled presents. An opportunity given to us so we could have a few moments to look around us and to appreciate and be thankful for every little thing that is within our personal world.  

“Traffic jam” is a gift of time, a chance given to us to make up for the things that we neglected; for us to continue working on things that we’ve chosen to sacrifice for something else; for us to catch up on things that we abandoned for a time. Sometimes, it is simply a break for us so we could notice the goodness and beauty of life.

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The sound of cellular phone jolted me back from my contemplative mood. A surge of warmth and affection fills my heart as I saw the name of the message sender. With a big smile, I opened the SMS message from my number one fan, the wind beneath my wings… Dennis. He is my one and only brother. The message reminded me to call “our olds” back home, the lights of my life. Ah, life is simply wonderful,
 

©2007leofinajanegalleta