"I was driving north on Highway 101, just ten minutes past the Golden Gate Bridge, on my way to the Richmond Bridge in San Rafael. I planned to cross the bay and drive on north from there to Antioch, where I had an important business meeting. Even though it was midday, I found myself suddenly in gridlock traffic. I thought I might miss my appointment in Antioch. I began to feel anxious. I became irritated at the drivers I saw joining the freeway traffic from entrance ramps without leaving any space for the cars already on the highway to move forward. It was looking less and less likely that I'd be at my appointment on time. I noticed that my body had become tense and I was gripping the wheel. Then I looked out the driver's side window and saw Mount Tamalpais. I looked out to my right and saw Richardson Bay. I thought, "I am sitting between two major tourist attractions. People come from all over the world to sit exactly where I am sitting right now in order to have this view." I sat back and appreciated the view. My hands unclenched. My body relaxed. My mind relaxed. Then I had this big revelation.
This was my revelation: "I'll get to Antioch when I get to Antioch. Maybe today. Maybe not today. Maybe I'll be there for the meeting. Maybe I won't be there for the meeting. Whatever will be will be. My getting aggravated is not changing the situation. It is making it worse."
When the traffic did start up again, I didn't drive too fast, so I didn't become a menace to myself and everyone else on the highway. That's the important part. . . . You need to keep looking for whatever perspective you can find that will transform the moment."
~Art George
(as related to Sylvia Boorstein)