What to do when you are in a jam?
Posted in Family, Pinoy culture, coffee break, opinion on Aug 29th, 2008
Sorry folks if my previous posts have seem hurried, but reality bites while one is dreaming. Anyway, I’ll try to catch up on IOU tags and whatnots and I’ll start with Jan’s coffee break question for this week.
What to do????
Drum your fingers.
Roll your eyes.
Kill the drivers next to you with your stares.
Count how many celebrities are splattered on billboards all over the expressway either in sexy swimwear or underwear or make a note to self to confirm if so and so politician promoting skin care products really has flawless skin.
If commuting, catch up on much needed sleep lost due to the previous night’s gimick.
And so much more…
This might come as a surprise but sometimes (actually, a lot of times) I enjoy being in traffic jams especially when I commute. It becomes a pocket of time where I can find sanctuary from the cares of everyday life. No one tugging at me, calling me for this and that, asking me to do so many things all at the same time.
Basically, I am a creature of solitude and in order for me to function well I need to have those specific times where no one disturbs me at all and I can have the opportunity to process things thoroughly. I turn it into a moment to imagine, dream, reflect and take stock of life and be thankful. Deep noh? Well, having two homeschooled kids, no househelp, work at home deadlines etc., I crave for those moments of silence.
I actually have fond memories of the time when I got caught in a traffic jam years ago while I was riding a bus and no one offered me a seat. I distinctly remember that scene where I was holding on to the rail above and enumerating in my head all the things God had given me like peace in my heart, His unconditional acceptance of who I am, the blessings I had even if times were hard so much so that I was already smiling I think to the bewilderment of the other passengers who must have thought I was nuts. I remember that to this day and it still shields me from the frustration of being stuck in a place where I am not in control.
Sometimes I get frustrated when I know I prepare early and do everything not to be late for an appointment and something out of the blue happens to prevent that, I find out later that the other party wasn’t available at all or was also late etc for reasons beyond our control. I have also learned that most of the time, when I fret and rant about not being able to get to a place I’m supposed to be at and I have diligently tried my best to be on time but the circumstances prevented me from doing so, most of the time it was because God was ordering my steps and orchestrating things to work out something special not just for me but for other people as well.
So I have learned to choose to be calm and spare myself the wrinkles from the unnecessary freaking out and just use that pocket of time to watch how the shadows fall on the ground, look up at the sky and check out if it has any fancy formations, read the ridiculous and often funny business sign boards typically Pinoy, observe the expressions on the faces of the people passing by and wonder what their story is all about and how to capture their moments in picture or in words. When all these things fill my heart and my mind it leads me to sing a silent song of worship in my heart as I thoughtfully consider all these things He has made.
I do a lot when I’m in a traffic jam and sooner than I think, I’m already where I need to be.
Those are my thoughts for now. Dinnertime beckons me and I must heed the call of the mundane. Later y’all!.
Ciao!
