❀ Carly ❀

29 AUG 2017 7:52 AM

This is the situation I came across on a Tuesday morning. I call it the Busy Morning Dillema. The morning rush hour traffic made itself apparent to me. It’s not that I considered it to be nonexistent in the first place, it’s just that I don’t usually experience this due to the fact that I am rarely found on the road this early, particularly on Marcos Highway. However, it was not really like the traffic scenes from movies where drivers are violently blasting their horns, which is good because we don’t really need more of that negative energy and stress as we start our day. Different kinds of vehicles are all lined up, patiently waiting for the wheels in front of them to move although it took about 13 minutes to cover 5 kilometers. Notice the terrifying movie posters displayed on the mall’s facade. A lot of citizens think that being stuck in traffic is worse than being in a horror movie. People are bustling to get to where they should be – probably work, school or an important event. Traffic enforcers are doing their job as they guide the motorists in the right way to avoid making the road situation worse. Meanwhile, there we sat unbothered, taking pictures from our bus window for a certain homework just as we were also running late for our 9 AM lecture in a museum.

I remember my elementary graduation day. We left the house an hour early because we already considered the traffic that was waiting for us and yet it took us 2 long hours on the road. My brother and I did not get to join the processional march seeing that we were 30 minutes late and missed a quarter of the program already. I can only imagine the distress of every Filipino stuck in traffic as he is running late. However, traffic congestion is an everyday reality. We cannot use it as an excuse. We must deal with it, adjust accordingly, and work around it so that it would never be a reason why we show up late. It is not something that would be solved instantly, it would be a long and gradual process.

Nonetheless, I am thankful because maybe God allowed these inconveniences, irritations and aggravations to happen so that He can mold our character and help us develop patience.