The other day I was on my way home. Normal evening traffic. Autobahn in Germany. Megalopolis Rhineland. It was hot. End of July. A 57. Neuss to Cologne. And "boom", out of nowhere, the traffic is jammed….
This is Germany at its best. Madness in the land of the organized. I make a well considered decision:
-I will not be mad, since that doesn´t get me anywhere.
-I will not be sad, since dinner may be reheated.
-I will be glad.
Yeah, seriously! I made the decision to make the best of it. To use the time. Inhale the possibilities. To check my options.
And there are infinite options to use your time, whilst you are stuck in a traffic jam. First of all: pay attention to the madness around you. You may sense the tension of the people. It is in the air. It is all around you. 8 out of 10 people in a bumper to bumper traffic holdup situation are considerably boosting the parameters of their vital systems. Blood pressure, heart rate, you name it.
It´s stupid. It gets you nowhere! Believe me! Convert it. Be no part of the madness!
Here´s my free advice for your next traffic situation:
a) make phone calls you evaded for reasons only obvious to yourself
b) count the cars in your range of sight that are German made (of French made, if you are French)
c) write a poem. If you are lacking paper and pencil, dictate it to SIRI. There is no excuse!
d) listen to music
e) listen to a podcast
f) think
g) sleep
The wheels were still for 90 minutes and I was a happy man.
Because I had the time to do all the aforementioned things.
So if you are really stuck the next time: Don´t be mad or sad. Be glad!!