Stuck in Traffic?

The vast majority of people I know hate getting stuck in traffic.  Some of my co-workers will stay at work, off the clock to avoid running into busy school bus routes.  Some of my classmates will leave over a half an hour early to avoid lunch hour congestion to travel through downtown.

While I will often give myself plenty of time to get from point A to point B, it is generally never to avoid.  On the contrary, it is to allow for time "wasted" sitting in traffic.  Whether it's on I65 heading to work, I64 to or from school, or just local roads heading across town, somehow or another, I always end up spending time stuck in traffic.  So, aside from planning on, and jamming to the radio, I have discovered a number of ways to get through those long moments when one can't to anything but stare at the same three license plates.

So here are some of the things I do, to keep patience and not get overly frustrated with time lost in transit:

1) Turn off the radio and look out at the horizon.  Taking in the beauty of the moment often serves to help take my mind off of the fact that I have moved three feet in the past five minutes.  Look at the trees or buildings.  Take a few moments to cloud-watch.  Check out the stars, if you're caught in night road construction. 

2) People watch.  Now, obviously be careful because heavy traffic is often prime-time to run into someone experiencing road-rage, so don't make eye contact with someone visibly irritated.  Instead, look at some of the makes and models of cars around.  Imagine who these people might be and where they are going, or what they are leaving.  The man in the Volkswagen just in front of you may be a frugal middle-class businessman who's fallen on hard times.  Maybe he needs prayer because he was recently laid off and his wife is threatening to leave him because he can't support her and their two children on his unemployment check.  Just people watch and imagine some scenarios.

3) Take some time to pray.  I know it may sound odd, but picture God sitting in the seat next to you.  Tell Him about your day, your relationships, your dreams.  Ask Him questions like "God, what do you think about last night's news?  I know that story about Pakistan was really depressing, but there has to be some good in that part of the world, right?  You know, I think I heard something about missionaries going over to help feed some of those starving children.  Thank You for those people." Speak to Him out loud; it makes it more real, at least for me.  And don't worry about if other people are looking at you funny, they think you're singing along with the radio.

So next time you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't get frustrated, practice love.  Practice the presence of God, and remember, at least this traffic jam is not going to last for 9 days like this one in China: 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100823/sc_afp/chinaroadtraffic