By Emily Rosen
I’ve been to almost every state in this country … drove a car in most of them, stopped at red lights as required. But in the past almost 20 years, since living full-time in Florida, I have whiled away what seems like the equivalent of my entire adolescence waiting for lights to turn green.
What? You too?
You can’t win with Florida traffic lights. You just have to plan your day to include so much extra time, depending on how far you’re going, for waiting until the left lane, the right lane and all the turning lanes have had it. And then, when it finally turns green, have you noticed, that you can barely make the street crossover before – whoops – RED again. And of course, if you are the fifth car behind the front-runner, you’re stuck for another three minutes. (Yes, I’ve timed it – and go add up all those three “minuteses” over 20 years and counting.)
I’ve learned that when you can’t change a bad situation, you have two choices: get out of the situation or make it userfriendly. Okay, since I’m not about to stop driving, how to find the user-friendly approach?
First – what not to do: Definitely, no texting. Three minutes may seem like an eternity at a traffic stop, but it’s a snippet when you’re engaged in serious text-talk. (Actually, I don’t text, but I feel obligated to address those of you who do.) And that goes for voice talk too, unless you have bluetooth, which is like having a talking passenger in the car. And that often leads to real distraction and missed turns or exits and, in my experience, has taken me far, far out of my way. And then, I have to deal with the cost of gas.
You do, however, have time to redo your lipstick at long traffic lights, or, if you are a male, you could get in a quick shave of your left check with your portable shaver that you have placed handily in the arm rest compartment. And needless to say, you will save the right cheek for the next red light.
You could count the Lamborghinis parked next to you. Really? Or you might be an avid listener to books on tape. This is my solution, and I often pray for red lights so that I can hear more of my book. User-friendly, right? Talk radio, or music, are obvious options.
Think about just thinking. This is my latest favorite activity, and many of us do not even know all the possibilities that exist in that area. Forget that you’re late for your doctor appointment. He won’t take you on time anyway. Think positive thoughts – you’re at the beach, on a mountain top, strolling on the Champs Elysee, window shopping on the Ponte Vecchio, staring deep into the Grand Canyon or riding the donkey on the Angel trail, straddling the crevices in Cappadocia, undulating on a camel in the Sahara, eating a hot dog at Coney Island. That’s the kind of “tripping” that’ll get you to your destination without a frazzle and all finetuned and stress free.
Leave the road rage to the guy with the finger. Learn to treat heavy traffic and red lights as your friendly dispenser of peace and calm. And, let me know if this works for you. If it does, I’ll try it too.
