The other day I was on my way home from Los Angeles. I thought that I’d left early enough to have missed the traffic hour and was moving along quite well for several minutes, when all of a sudden it stopped. I am not sure why I am ever surprised anymore. But I’d really hoped for an easy drive that day, without a lot of glitches… Though it never seems to fail… something always causes a traffic jam when I am in route!
Slowly we inched along, maybe a mile in fifteen minutes and then a steady 30 or 40 miles an hour until it slowed again and we passed what was causing the traffic jam. A car had overturned. Though I have seen worse and heard people lived. I prayed as I passed it. I prayed for it to be one of those miraculous accidents where the ones involved survived without a scratch but I gotta tell ya it didn’t look good.
As we passed it we all started moving until we were going about sixty miles an hour but I noticed that the other side of the freeway had begun backing up and as I drove further, I saw that the traffic wound around the bend for what looked like miles.
Stopped in it’s tracks! And I could see why. It hadn’t even happened on their side of the freeway but everyone on the opposite side was bottle necking to see the overturned car on our side.
People were almost stopping to take a peek while others behind them began slamming on their brakes and honking
and it was one of those metaphoric moments that come to me every so often that made me realize that you never know why you hit those spots in life that hold you back, what is around the bend… and why things don’t always happen as we expect them too. Sometimes it is our fault and sometimes it is just something we couldn’t forsee and you can’t do anything but go with the flow patiently trusting that God is ahead of us clearing the way when we finally see the full picture and the mistakes in our life more clearly and hopefully learn from each one!
Sometimes, life just happens and there’s nothing you can do. Sometimes we focus on the negative, staying stuck. And other times we see our mistakes and learn from them.
Life is all about moving past the accidents,
keeping the faith…. and appreciating the ride when it moves along nicely. But knowing that the traffic eventually breaks and if you are patient… and give The Lord the steering wheel…you will always get to where you are going…. And hopefully if we are very patient…. the place HE has for each of us!!
Psalm 130:5 — I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
The One Thing I know For Sure 
Excellent, Diane.
You know, I’ve never wanted to stop & gawp at someone in an accident. I’ve not wanted to add to all that staring – I find it gross, that people do so.
Like your metaphor though. Loud & clear.
Thank you! I agree, all that gawking is like peeking into the tragedy of someone’s private life. Unless people are first on the scene and looking for the sake of helping…wondering if they need to stop to help… but when there are fire trucks on the scene… well lets just say thanks for “getting” my metaphor! 😉
I love your writing! I am finding it very healing to wander through your words as well! Though our experiences are not identical… it seems as if my heart connects with yours! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blogging name!!!!
Thank you so much 🙂 I’m glad you like my stuff.
I know I don’t come by (anywhere, actually) terribly regularly, but I always enjoy it when I’m here. Wonderful posts.
Very inspirational Diane. I could definitely have a little more patience when it comes to traffic. I find listening to music helps.
Hello beautiful writer! Remember, God always has a plan, there’s a reason for everything and when stuck in ‘sticky’ situations, I always try and take a positive from it, or remember how grateful I am for things.
Ahhh just seeing your sweet face makes me decide to work on my book before I write on my blog! (Which I was going to do… which I know now is another procrastinating thing I do on my day off that was supposed to be dedicated to writing!) I bet you are ready to go to print? While I have decided to take each of my chapters and start from the beginning and get this book of mine written for once and for all! Your reminder is good! I am going to be grateful today! 😉
Di, first of all thanks. But stop being so hard on yourself, it seems that you are always doing so many things. YOU must dedicate time to your book. It is so easy to sidetrack ourselves, but we must commit. For you to not get something out into print would be a waste. Give your beautiful book an hour a day. If you find that is not your focus right now, how about compiling a beautiful book on thoughts and/or poetry with the beautiful things you write on your blog? Maybe this type of writing is what makes you happiest right now, it seems to me you pour your heart out on your blog, so why not make a book of it? Maybe that will propel you to get back to your other story afterward? Just a thought my sweet friend. xo
I hate sitting in traffic. I keep getting run over.
NO!!!! lol
😀
I pray every time I get into my car and when I arrive home safe. In a second, everything as you know it, can change.
Drivers gawking cause accidents. Lovely post.
Thank you for reading!
That is a good habit to get into!
I always wonder how a car can flip on a flat surface in the middle of a freeway but it is a horrible sight! You are right gawkers or people not paying attention gawking probably cause more accidents than we know!
An yes. Let go and let God.
Lovely post Diane.
Thank you!
xoxo
So very true Diane. Sometimes (all the time) we just gotta let go and let God.
Lovely post
Louise!
THAT should have been my Title! Love it when it is so clear that other people understand exactly what I meant! You guys are my reward! Thanks for reading! I always feel that same connection when I read ANY of your posts!
I can never understand why people want to gawp at a traffic accident Diane. And yes, these awful things do make you remember how it can all end in moments. I live my life these days knowing that change could occur at any moment, and to just keep my attention here, now. Sometimes my mind wanders to the future, but having had the experience of sudden change, I am able to snap it back. Its a very peaceful way to live, and one of the blessings of tragedy. Thanks for a lovely read, Diane.
((((YAZ))))
Thanks for reading! Always makes me warm when I see your name. Love that we are usually on the same wave lengths!!!
Yep~This was a reminder for me as I drove along, long after passing the cause of the deadlock and realized how all those people almost STOPPING to gawk at the tragedy were causing their own desmise… not to mention also, of others who I know (there “are” those who just drive, trying not to contribute to the chaos!) were just trying to get home! And it all made me realize how sometimes we cause our own problems that just don’t have to be caused!
xoxo
By the way… thanks for always “getting” what I mean! 😉
I try (and sometimes fail) to think of where I am and not about where I’m going. When you are always focused on the next thing you are never present in the here and now, and that’s all there really ever is.
Jim,
That has been my mantra lately that this moment is all there is!!! As you well know from all you’ve read of mine… I have a very hard time with not wanting to be blasted back to the past and then also… focusing too much on the future! But I fail to see how this relates?? I guess I wasn’t as clear as I could have been. That is why I love getting to comment as well!
My point of this piece was meant to show how we sometimes cause our own problems while others objectively from a distance can see what is happening…. In this case… we (on my side of the freeway, who had already passed the accident) knew that there was nothing ahead to cause the miles and miles of backed up traffic other than an accident being cleaned up and not only that but… On the OTHERS side of the freeway not even affecting them! My metaphor was supposed to show how we sometimes create our own unecessary problems. (I know you are not a believer so you may not relate to this but since it is “my” blog and I am writing from “my” perspective…. 😉 ) My analogy is that God sees the whole picture…. as we create our own drama that never needed to happen.
Thanks for trying to “get” me though! 😉
As always
xoxo
🙂
Sometimes, life just happens and there’s nothing you can do. One of my favorite sayings.
Great saying!
I guess I’d like to add to that by saying:
Sometimes life happens and WE get in our own way of what could have been! 😉
xoxo
Thanks for reading!
Hi Di,
When I hit a traffic jam I just slow down, take a deep breath and relax because there’s nothing else to do. It’s a chance to be introspective of the day, or anything else that’s important to you. (a little good music always helps too).
Paul,
I love it! How did I know you’d be one of the good ones that just drives by without contributing to the chaos? 😉
I used to drive that four hour LA drive a LOT more than I recently have. Since my daughter is there etc… I like to get there more often than I have. I used to do a lot of buying for my store and before that, did art shows after moving from there. (I kept doing the same shows since I had a good customer base down there!) Anyway I used to spend hours listening to books on tape! Now I trade off listening to SIRRIUS radio and audio books! When I listen to Praise Songs it helps a lot! 😉
Great analogy! It’s a surprising journey sometimes isn’t it, but I’m so thankful God has my steering wheel. Thanks for the awesome post.
I know! Isn’t it a relief to know HE has the control?
xoxo