Traffic

If you ever pay attention when you’re stuck in traffic, which I know most of us don’t you’d be amazed at how similar it is to life. Many of us can’t see it because we all try to avoid traffic because it is an obstacle much like we all try to avoid them in our lives. It keeps us from getting to our destination, it is something that pause’s our forward progress; and we all hate to have our progress stopped.
Your patience is tested in life much like it is in traffic. For example, in life when things are at a standstill we get agitated and impatient, much like we do in traffic.  Also like the majority of us in traffic when we see an open lane or a chance to move, we take it. We jump at the opportunity as if it’s the last one that’s ever going to present itself. Many of us utilize this same technique in life as we do in traffic although I wish more would do so in life as opposed to the sudden actions in heavy machinery; it would lower car insurance rates a lot.  Meaning, the care free moment of action that we take which puts those around us in some sort of danger because of our abrasive and rash decision to seize that small window of chance does not allow us to thoroughly appreciate the risks we put ourselves and others in.

There are also those times when the lanes are open and the road is free for you to coast and it is then when one really feels free and able to enjoy the privilege of driving. This is the same as when we experience times in our life when we coast on through and everything is going as planned. It is then that we enjoy and embrace the privilege of living. Yes I say living life is a privilege because there are many who do not get to enjoy it for many reasons whether it is because of death, illness or incarceration they can not coast through or be able to feel free. Similar to those who can not enjoy the privilege of driving, those with suspended or revoked licenses know how that feels.

Life like traffic requires those who take the outsiders perspective and keep us from harming ourselves as well as others. We call them police on the road and true friends and family in life. They remind us that caution is something that we need to use in life as well as driving because if we go too fast or throw care into the wind we might hurt ourselves and those around us. They let us know that sometimes it’s imperative for us to simply slow down and acknowledge our surroundings instead of being selfish and block out all that’s around. After all what we do affects those around us both on the road and in our lives.

Another similarity between life and traffic is how we all stop to look at the accidents that surround us. We all are guilty of stopping and staring at someone else’s wreck. Some of us may pull over and help out while the majority of us simply keep moving on with our business. We gander for a moment fascinated at the sight of something reminding us to be careful and how simple it is to lose control of what we try so hard and are trained to have control of. Yet once we pass that reminder (wreck) and all the remnants are swept up we go back to the old way of doing things; carelessly and mindful of what can happen but never truly accepting the fact that we too can experience one hell of a wreck.
  Yes, traffic is just like life if you take the time to think about it. So the next time you’re stuck in traffic just think about the current state of your life and whether or not you’ll be able to travel the roads laid out in front of you freely yet with caution. Or throw it in the wind once you’ve passed the wreck. I would write more, but a lane just opened up and I have to keep on moving ever so cautiously yet free and fully aware that I must always be mindful of those around me because my actions and decisions can affect them just as much as they affect me.