Joy in traffic...huh?

I want to share something with you, odd as this might sound, about finding joy in traffic. Living in Silicon Valley, traffic is a necessary evil I deal with every day. In fact, most days it takes me about an hour each way between San Jose and Palo Alto. So what's joyful about it?

Let me admit first...it's not always joy-filled...but more often it is. Why? Because it's an opportunity for me to practice something important to me. Which is that I'm a member of a family of humans that live in this place at this time in the span of history - and we're all together on the same roads right now...all going to our places of school or business.

If tonight, at the kitchen table, surrounded by friends and family, I hear this person or that person telling me about their equally long commute, I would naturally be compassionate and empathetic about what they go through. Why wouldn't I be the same for the men and women that I don't know personally? Every one of them is a mom to someone, a daughter to someone, a wife to someone, a son to someone, etc. In other words, they are part of this big human family that I'm also a part of. And sometimes, one or the other of us finds ourselves in a tussle to get to work asap - like now - and I've been there myself. Other times, we're so busy thinking about what we did last weekend, or what our husband or wife said to us that morning, that we're just lollygagging along, not thinking too clearly - and it shows up in our driving.

Which makes us drive weird - which makes us kind of adorable - because haven't we all been there? And aren't we actually privileged to get to interact (at least in traffic) with all these men and women, young and old, that we don't even know? I know that sounds odd - it even sounds odd to me - but I still think it. Which makes it no big deal when someone cuts me off, because I figure "wow - they must have something on their mind" or when someone speeds ahead of me - because I've been there too - and today I'm glad to putt putt along.

I don't know folks, but I daresay we'll all live longer, and happier, if we take down the judgement call and consider ourselves this one big human family - and sometimes someone misbehaves - so we can be glad we're in a position to be tolerant of them today. Because maybe - just maybe - tomorrow that misbehavin person will be me. And I'd really appreciate your tolerance of me.