Why is there always so much dang traffic on the freeway??? And why are there always so many people cramming up the subway on my morning commute?? Furthermore, why doesn't my muffin top look as delicious as the muffin tops in the display case at my neighborhood bakery?? It never fails, "what IS" is almost always in conflict with my opinion of what should be. Especially traffic, and lines, being put on hold or anything else that takes up MY time. My times is very valuable, much more valuable then your time, of course. And if I decide to leave my house a half an hour later then I should to get to my destination on time, you in the green Prius, yeah you, you're somehow responsible for my frustration and anxiety!! Sound reasonable? Well, not really, but it most certainly sounds familiar.
I have to admit, I have gotten a bit better at all this patience stuff. It takes a little more planning, a little more accountability, a little more acceptance. But this little installment goes a long way towards a stressless lifestyle, which me likes. Waking up morning after morning and expecting that there isn't going to be any traffic in Los Angeles on my morning commute gets a little bit absurd after a while. And although I absolutely love absurd, at some point I had to accept the folly in all this and ditch my ridiculous expectation. An expectation is after all just a future resentment, and who wants to resent all of their fellow commuters every morning? I mean we are all in the same boat, or cars, or wait, no boats, yeah boats traveling along in the current of the city, like a river that flows through a majestic forested wilderness. L.A. has been referred to as The Jungle before, Stupid Axl! I loved that band!
This imagery makes my morning commute a smidgen more pleasant. Just me in my dingy floating down the river of life. Flowing along with all the other commuters heading down our separate paths but all leading eventually to the same destination. Of course there are going to be a couple of sharp rocks on the 405 river, and maybe a few whirlpools on the 110/101 delta, but nothing I can't skillfully navigate. How skillfully I navigate the beautiful inner city water ways all depends on how aware I am, how present I am with the natural flow. I have to BE the river. I AM the traffic. Part of it, not separate from it. How can I be mad at me? I'm an awesome dude and an fantastic dingy captain! And all good river boat captains plan, they take responsibility, they leave on time and they remain wary of any possible storms that may hinder their journey. But most of all they remain calm in the most stressful situations, they breath and focus on the moment, flowing with the river, flowing with life, at peace. After all, it is my time right? I should be able to spend it exactly the way that I choose.
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