Another vivid dream. I’m in a traditional diner, casually talking to the owner as I wait for my carry-out order. (My dream’s cast included guest star Beth Chapman, wife of Dog the Bounty Hunter, as the no-nonsense owner. Perfect choice.)
I mention the road construction in the area around the diner and ask if they’re also working on roads near where she lives. Yes, she says. I smile and ask, Don’t you just love it?
An invitation to escape
I can tell from her expression, this is not a turn of conversation she expected. How could anyone love road construction?
Road construction, I say, is a cosmic invitation to escape into the present moment.
And I woke up, thinking I’d be just as surprised by this idea as the diner owner, since I often spend delays speculating about the future or reviewing things from the past. But my dreaming self sounded so sure (and so wise!), I began a list of ways she/I might be right.
Potential gifts of road construction delays: a starter list
- A chance to notice the natural beauty of the place where I live
- An opportunity to check in with the car that carries me over these roads, noticing whether its purring or asking for attention
- Time communing with my neighbors as I consider that we’re all on this road/path together in both the literal and metaphorical sense
- Appreciation for all those involved in improving the road
Everything on my list sounds more appealing than grinding my teeth in frustration or spending the time worrying about what might or might not happen to my ultimate plans for the day. So heck, I’m going to throw in a couple more things to do while waiting:
- Practice sending silent blessings to the road crew, all my fellow drivers and their passengers
- Make up a song about the day. Or turn on some recorded tunes and do some car dancing
- Just breathe
- And of course, sneak the fries from my carry-out diner order
Where do you spend your delays? In the past? The future? Or if you are already as wise as my dream self, escaping into the present moment, what is your practice?
Photo credit: Kyle May
