I had a bit of a revelation today as I sped home from work.
I needed to get home in somewhat of a hurry, so I was trying to drive fast,
while avoiding running into things: cars, people, you know—the things you
typically try to avoid while driving.
Well, as I sped along, I began to notice a terribly
frustrating pattern: I hit every red light there was on my drive. Every.
Single. One. I would be cruising along at a good pace, and then as soon as I
saw the next traffic light, it would turn yellow, and I would be stuck at the
front of the line, waiting for the light to turn green again. This happened
over and over, and I began to get frustrated.
I began to bargain with the lights (I don’t know if you have
ever done this, but it isn’t an effective method). When I would see the light
turn yellow, I would groan, “Come on! I hit the last light. Can’t you just turn
green?” Which of course didn’t work. So I would try again “Okay, can I at LEAST
make it through the next light?” The light would turn green, I drove onward,
and was shortly stopped again.
The commute home usually takes about 30-40 minutes. Today,
it took an hour. As I drove, I realized that there were a LOT of lights on my
way home. When I usually drive home, I only notice a couple lights; but for the
most part, I cruise happily along.
That is when I had my revelation. When things are going well
in my life, I don’t notice. I don’t take time to slow down and enjoy the ride.
I speed through life, rushing to my next destination, unmindful of the journey
that I am making. It is only when I am stopped, whether it be at inconvenient
times or repeatedly, that I realize “Hey. Things were going really well for me
a while ago. What happened?”
We are often encouraged to slow down. “Stop and smell the
roses,” “life isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey,” and other
phrases are familiar to us. But how often do we REALLY take the chance to slow
down and enjoy the journey?
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a leader in The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, once gave a beautiful address called “Of
Regrets and Resolutions.” In this address, he talks about how short life is,
and some things that we can do to make the most of our lives.
At one point he states: “Sometimes in life we become so
focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey … Doesn’t it
seem foolish to spoil sweet and joyful experiences because we are constantly
anticipating the moment when they will end? Do we listen to beautiful music
waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it?
No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony
throughout the composition.”
No matter how irritating those stop lights were today, they
literally forced me to stop and think about my journey. And while I wasn’t
grateful for that opportunity at the time, I realized late that I haven’t paid
attention on my commute home for a long time.
I am ashamed to admit this. Especially since I am striving
to be more ladylike, and I think one prominent trait of a lady is she is aware
of her surroundings. But for me, it took a stop light to get me to pause. It
also made me think—how else can I be more aware of my journey, without the
extra prompting? Here are a few thoughts I came up with.
First, I can be grateful for the green lights in my life. I
have a lot of blessings, and I am very rarely conscious of them until there is
a change. I can pay attention to those things and express my gratitude.
Second, I can slow down my journey in general. Everyone,
everywhere is travelling somewhere. It really isn’t a race to the finish. My
speeding along today saved me absolutely no time. Zero. Zilch. At every light,
when other cars pulled up, I noticed that it was the same group of cars that
had been with me at the previous light. And the one before that. And the one
before that… do you see what I mean? Pulling back and slowing down a little
would have reduced my stress a great deal, and my ride would have been much
more enjoyable.
And third, I can try to notice the humor around me. There is
ALWAYS something funny on the road, and the same is true in life. Life is meant
to be enjoyed, not simply lived.
There is a quote that always makes me smile when I see something
similar posted on Facebook. It says something along the lines of “when I die, I
don’t want to arrive in heaven in a clean white shirt and pressed trousers. I
would rather skid to a halt, my hair flying crazy and be totally worn out,
shouting ‘Holy smokes, what a fantastic ride!’”
I don’t know if I want to live life to THAT extreme, but I
do know that we have only a limited amount of time: I would like to live it
aware of the steps I am taking, and the surroundings in my journey. Take the “red
light challenge” with me. Slow down. Notice your surroundings. Enjoy your
journey. And love it!
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