Caraballo & Associates

I had an experience today which was closely followed by some kind of epiphany.

Let me take you down the road of what developed:

Today was my first day at a new office. It was exciting, you know, getting to meet new people, starting fresh in a new place. I had a feeling like it was the first day of school all day long, in a good way.

I left work and had to drive straight to school. Because it was my first day, I did not know how much traffic there would be or how long it would take to get to school from this new route I was taking.

Anyway, Five O’clock comes and I hit the street. I am not sure at this point which will be the best (and fastest) way to get to school.

Problem #1

Traffic started piling up a bit but I said “what the hey, it happens right” I decided long ago to not let traffic get to me. (or at least try). I have plenty of time to make it to class.

I look at my watch: I have 45 minutes left.

Does not feel comfortable but I think I can make it. I deal with the traffic issue and try to make a few quick turns, but no luck, the traffic followed me everywhere.

Problem #2

Of course you have your occasional Sunday driver out on the road. But today, today was different. I think that the Sunday driver association decided to all hit the streets at the same time in protest of something. (That’s my best guess) I must have run into 20 of these people! (Don’t they know I am in a hurry?)
I shrug them off also and go about my way and concentrating on making it to class on time.

I look at my watch: 30 minutes left.

I know I am behind schedule based on where I used to be from my old office at this time but I am still being an optimist, I will make it on time.

Problem #3

Why are there so many traffic lights? Now it looks like Murphy (from Murphy’s Law) is hiding in my trunk or something because this is starting to get ridiculous. I got hit with like ten of these things, why are they picking on me?
I look at my watch at every traffic light. I look at my watch 2-3 times each time I get a red light. After like the 4th red light I said, “awww forget it, I am not going to risk a ticket just because I am running late”.

I look at my watch: 15 minutes left

Problem #4

The home stretch. Are you serious? It has taken me 10 minutes to get two blocks over in order to get into the parking lot! 10 MINUTES! 2 BLOCKS! Unbelievable! Everyone needs to leave right now and let me get to class!!!!

I look at my watch: 5 minutes left

You would think that this torture is over but that would be far from the truth.

I finally get to the parking lot and WHAMMO!! You guessed it.

Problem #5

How many times does a person have to drive around a parking lot before he is given a space just for trying so hard? Why don’t these people just go away?
What would be the logical answer? Go to another area right? Well in this case that was WRONG! No spaces in two of the parking lots.

Do you remember that I mentioned I had an epiphany? Well right around the third parking lot which was a block and a half away from my class by the way, Is when I looked at my clock and noticed that I was already 10 minutes late. I hate being late!

As I continued looking for what seemed to be the last parking space in America, I had kind of given up hope and just as I saw what looked like a parking space. Over there at the end of the parking lot where nobody like to park because if you park there it kind of means that you are a loser and can’t find parking.

I saw a space and I did two things.

I looked at my watch one last time just to calculate how much later I would be after I walk the block and a half to class.

The second thing was a thought I had, I said to myself, “if there is a little moped or something parked in that space…I am calling it a night. I’M GOING HOME!

Luckily, there was a space and I parked and took off.

Now for the lesson, The last time I looked at my watch I began to ask myself, why do you keep looking at your watch?

Is looking at your watch going to make you any less late?
Have you not noticed that every time that you look at that ugly watch you become more and more stressed?

It was almost like my watch (and time) were taunting me and making me get angry, frustrated and totally upset.

How much do we do this on a daily basis? Why do we continue to think that knowing how late we are will make us feel better somehow? How did looking at my watch that many times help me in any way, shape or form?

If it did anything, it was to add to my anxiety. Yet we do this all the time. We think that we can control certain things when we really can’t.

I would have gotten to class at the same time whether I would have had five watches on or if there weren’t any watches in a 5 mile radius from where I was.

What’s the big deal with the watch? Once this thought went through my head, believe it or not I felt at ease. I accepted that fact that I was going to be late and there was pretty much nothing I could do about it. Why did I have to ruin my travel time by constantly looking at my watch. All the watch knowledge in the world would not have helped me in this case.

So here is the lesson, If you did not catch it already. We need to learn to accept things as they are when they are out of our control. I could have had a good time singing or learning something in the car but instead I chose to ruin my evening because I had to know how late I was actually running.

Bad choices I tell you, Bad choices! Make the best of the time you have, don’t spend it trying to figure out how to control it!

I hope this helped you like it helped me to write it. WHEW, I feel a lot better!

Thanks for reading.

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