A couple weeks ago, I was out running errands, picking up dinner and making a PDR. Anyways, the day had been long and hot, and being really tired, I just wanted to go home, eat some sushi and watch an episode of Castle or three.
There was one traffic light between me and the highway, and as fate would have it, I got caught in a red light...and I was not happy about it. After tensing up and whispering a couple expletives, I took a deep breath and sunk into my seat. Then I noticed it...Mt. Olympus in the distance. I have looked on that mountain my entire life, but this night it was different. A calm crept over me, and if nature has a voice, I heard it then.
"Look past the red lights."
Mt. Olympus had never looked so amazing as it did right then, and in the car that pulled up next to me, a little girl holding a doll was staring at me with a big smile on her face. I had my windows down and let it all sink in...this was a good moment. Even stuck behind six cars at a red light.
Too often have I stopped at a red light, frustrated that I have to wait (I'm not really patient,) and all my attention is focused on that stupid red circle. I'll catch myself looking at the other lights to see if they've turned yellow or red yet. Even when I have my kids laughing and singing in the back seat, my attention is on the light...and because of my fixation on something I can't control, I've missed little things around me.
Since that night, I've not let the little things bug me so much...whether it is a traffic light, getting cut off on the freeway, missing an exit, getting stuck in traffic (see a pattern? #Driving) and when I don't, I find that I am actually happier, and as my kids and wife probably think, easier and more enjoyable to be around.
It has made me think...what and where are the other "Red Lights" in my life?
What about you?
