Need a Minute to Yourself? Stop and Let Me Through!

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. ~Dr. Seuss

Have you ever been stopped in traffic, waiting for a long line of cars to pass so you can turn left? I was sitting behind a car today on my way home from work that had its blinker on, waiting to turn left into a gas station. Less than 50 feet behind me was a traffic light, which just so happened to be red at the time. Meanwhile, every car that was headed toward that light just kept on driving; no one would stop and allow the car in front of me to make its turn into the gas station.
Were they all in that much of a hurry to drive 30 feet just so they could step on their brakes and sit for two minutes at a red light? If they all knew they were going to have to wait anyway, why couldn't one person stop, wave their hand or flash their lights, and take less than 30 seconds to allow the car in front of them to make its turn?
After the light behind me had turned green, the car in front of me was able to turn left once their was a break in oncoming traffic. As I drove away, I got to thinking about how much everyone rushes through things, many times to get nowhere. Meanwhile, do we stop to think about those we pass by? Do we really think about all of the things that we--and others--may be missing out on, simply because we're in a hurry to get to the grocery store and pick up a gallon of milk?
As I headed over the bridge down the street from my house, I noticed that my gas gauge was on 'E.' And I thought, "What if the person in front of me, waiting patiently to turn, was also on 'E?' What if their car was running on fumes, ready to stall at any moment? Perhaps it wasn't, but what if it were? What if the people who passed that car were in that situation? Wouldn't they want someone to stop and allow them to turn?
From this one minute situation I was in while sitting behind a stopped car, I thought of two things: how we all rush through life without slowing down to enjoy it, and how we're all too busy thinking of ourselves to stop and consider the situation of another.
Wouldn't life be so much better for everyone if we all stopped rushing and took the time to notice the flower growing in the crack on the sidewalk? To gaze up at the sky and search for pictures in the clouds? To realize that we are not the only ones who have deadlines to meet and groceries to get?
So let's slow down and enjoy the moment. Let's be thankful when we have to stop at a red light; aren't we always complaining that we want a minute to ourselves?
And let's think of others before ourselves. If you don't think of me when I'm in need, then who's going to be there for you when you need someone?

What Do You do for YOU?

"I can't see you... I'm losing my vision."
Those were the panicked words that a friend of mine, Marisa, managed to stutter one day while I was visiting with her. Knowing that she is a victim of Stargardt's Disease, I was immediately worried, and my heart was breaking. I knew this meant that Marisa could be going blind.
After visiting with the doctor, Marisa was informed that she may have had a mini stroke. The doctor asked her if she was under any stress and Marisa answered honestly; she was under a tremendous amount of stress.
Marisa told me about her visit a few days later and said, "My doctor told me that I need to take an hour every day to do something for me, even if it's simply taking a walk."
I agreed, "Well you have to, Marisa."
She asked, "What do you do for you?"
My response? "...Nothing."
Nothing. Isn't that what many of us do for ourselves? We get up and get ready for work; get the kids dressed and take them to the sitter or send them to school; spill our coffee on ourselves as we speed to the office; put our eight hours (sometimes more) in; pick up the kids; cook dinner; wash the dishes; do the laundry; walk the dog; take out the trash; give the kids a bath; clean the house...
So when do we really have the time to take an hour out of our busy schedules for ourselves? It may seem like we don't, but we do; we just don't allow ourselves to sit down for an hour and read a book or take a drive in the country.
There are 24 hours in a day, and we all seem to shove as many things as we can into them, without any regards to ourselves. But one day it all catches up with us, doesn't it?
For Marisa, her wake up call was having a possible stroke. Now, Marisa goes to the gym for an hour a day and accomplishes so much: she relieves stress, renews her energy level, and feels good mentally, emotionally and physically. For others, wake up calls come to too late, when they're 80 years old and realize that they spent all of their time making a life for themselves that they forgot to enjoy their family and friends, the beauty of a sunset, the smell of baked apple pie.
So rather than rushing through everything and planning meeting on top of errand on top of chore, we need to slow down, relax, and yes, "smell the roses." If we can stay at work for an extra three or four hours, surely we can find an hour a day to sit on the porch and drink tea or go for a walk at the park.
So what do I do for me? Recently, lots of things. I realized that life is for living, and to live, you must love. So I am doing all of the things I love to do, sometimes for more than an hour a day.
I come home from work and crawl around on the floor with my 16-month-old son. I hop in bed and read a good book or do logic puzzles. I watch movies and drink homemade strawberry smoothies with my husband. I drink wine with my girlfriends. I write. I love. I live.
Today in particular, I took an hour to myself and had my first massage. And believe me when I say, it was amazing. Hot towels; a soft, warm bed; candle light; quiet music... Incredibly relaxing. How nice it would be to indulge in a massage every day for an hour!

Stupid Drivers: Stop Risking the lives of my Family & Friends

"Can I just say that it is 6:30 am.We just got home and I was in a vehicle when it rolled over on route 80 tonight. I woke up hysterically crying and I was sitting on the roof of [his]* blazer and the head rest was in my lap. He fell asleep. I have never been so scared in my life. Like I seriously don't want to get in a car again."

I woke up to my phone vibrating and beeping at 6:27 this morning. I had a text message from my friend Ashley, telling me that she was in a car accident. I was concerned, but I knew she was okay because she told me she was home. Still, I asked her if she was all right and she said that she was just shaken up and "a mess." At this point, I was frustrated and angry.
For those of you who have fallen asleep at the wheel: why didn't you just pull over or, if you were with someone else, have them drive? It is completely unfair for you to drive when you know you're tired because, in case you didn't know, you're risking the lives of everyone around you, which could be my family and friends. If they're not mine, they are someone's. In this case, Ashley is my friend. And you didn't even have to think to know that she was in harm's way because she was riding in your back seat! But obviously, you weren't thinking at all.
As far as I'm concerned, when someone falls asleep at the wheel, it's no accident. You know when you're tired (unless you have a major sleeping disorder) and at the point, you should pull over and ask soemone else to drive, or sit where you are for a while and rest. I don't care what time it is and what time you have to be wherever you're going. If you are tired and you don't pull over, you may never make it there at all.
If I would have gotten a phone call this morning, telling me that my friend was killed... I'm not sure what I would have done. I know that I would be completely shocked and heartbroken, but I would still be angry. Why should my friend's life be put on the line because you don't have any common sense? And this isn't the first time that this driver has used bad judgement. He races people in his car on public roads and he's driven drunk, probably among other things. And everytime, he's risking his own life as well as the lives of others.
So here's a tip: If you want to be stupid and risk your life, go sky diving or bungee jumping. Go race on closed roads. But do not get behind the wheel when you know you're tired and risk the lives of my friends and family.

*name concealed to protect the stupid.