Stuck in Traffic January 27, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Happiness, Meditation, Mindfulness.trackback
Oh . . . the bridge is going up.
And up . . . and up.
I’m here on the bridge.
Nothing to do but listen to music and enjoy the view.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Comments
Sorry comments are closed for this entry
Spirit Lights The Way 
How silly am I? At first I was looking at the signal and didn’t even notice the bridge!!!
Time for a coffee, methinks.
Life comes at us fast . . . coffee helps. 😉
Quite the traffic jam!
Traffic jams always remind me of this song:
Damn this traffic jam
How I hate to be late
Hurts my motor to go so slow
Time I get home my supper’ll be cold
Damn this traffic jam
Sometimes we need that moment of “nothingness” thrown into the middle of getting here and there!
I love getting stuck on the bridge . . . the views are expansive and the peace is palpable. 😎
When I first moved to Charleston, I chose to live on an island accessible only by drawbridge. I found it peaceful, too, especially when I got a slot close to the front and could see down the waterway.
Charleston is a wonderful place for waterways. Peace of the silent water.
I love living on islands (we’ve lived on three) . . . connected to the mainland by bridges which echo the drone of traffic as it travels to and fro, hither and yon.
It’s good to sitback and enjoy the view – we just have to be forced to do it sometimes 😉
Nancy, I’ve taken the liberty of nominating you for the HUG award in my post – http://2e0mca.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/hope-unites-globally-hug-award/
The details of the award are available from http://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/
I hope you are OK with this 🙂
Thanks, Martin! I love cyber HUGS and HUG awards!
The first time we got “stuck” on the bridge, BFF “fussed” a bit. I laughed and waved my hand at the views . . .
People would pay to be able to stop mid-commute to enjoy this. 😎
How we relate to the issue IS the issue. It pays to enjoy the view as we journey through life.
Ahhhh. That might just be my worst nightmare!
Sorry, Tori. Not a fan of bridges, eh? Are you afraid of heights, bridges, water . . . or all three?
I love bridges . . . but would prefer NOT to be on the Golden Gate Bridge (or the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel) in the middle of an earthquake, hurricane, or tsunami. That might test my faith in engineering a bit.
But under blue skies . . . peace prevails.
I wondered where you’d be stuck in traffic LOL 🙂
Good point, PiP. Except on trips to and from Orlando to visit my sister, we’ve spent very little time “fighting traffic.” Mostly, it’s smooth sailing. :cool:.
What a wonderful spot to stop and pause….and what a good reminder tome to find those opportunities to come back to what is here right now and appreciate it…whether by a raised bridge or just a moment of raised awareness…Nancy, what a beautiful area you live in, surrounded by so much beauty!
Thanks, Kathy!
Pausing periodically to come back to THIS moment is a wonder-filled way to navigate through the maze of life , , , and see the beauty that surrounds us.
Fab! Felix would be totally sent with this! Lovely post, Nancy…
It’s an especially nice “pause” when a beautiful sailboat is gliding through the draw.
With a view like that, I don’t think I would mind being stuck in traffic! 🙂
Exactly how I feel, Marie. It’s always a pleasure to see the drawbridge going up as I approach. 😀
Unless I am on “urgent business,” I always enjoy waiting for the “drawbridges” to do their thing! If nothing else, it is a great time to do some meditation or prayer. I’ve always used stop lights as mini prayer times – waiting on a bridge is an extended version – or can be – if not taken away with the view! But that’s another form of meditation, isn’t it?
I’m with you, PTC. I find it relaxing to engage in some mindful meditation when drawbridges go up . . . or trains fly by.
Choo . . . choo!
I wouldn’t mind being stuck there….beautiful scenery…and you used the time well!
I’m waiting for the day when I’m sitting there . . . and a pod of dolphins comes swimming and skimming by! 😀
That would be so cool!
One evening on the Bridge Street Pier (just south of this bridge, also on the intercoastal waterway) we followed a pod of dolphins with our eyes for about 20 minutes.
They were splishing and splashing and fishing for dinner. 😀
and oh what a painful view!! heh heh. You wonder though, how many people, sit there and stew instead of breathing and allowing the sights and sounds to bless them.
It’s harder to relax if we are in “GO” mode (or “DO” mode). Once we decided to enter the NOW, it’s easier press pause and enjoy the present. 😀
All about what we make of it! Beautiful view to slow down the pace of life and just savor the moment. xo
I’m much happier living where the pace of life is slow enough to savor the moment. Thanks, jackie.
Enforced “chill out” – love it.
It’s always good to be stuck in a place made for “chilling out.”
Every moment brings beauty and joy…if we let it. 🙂
Thanks for the lovely views of your moment!
Thanks, Vivian. There is much beauty to behold . . . when our eyes are OPEN. 😯
Just like ferry travel…lots of meditation, reading and car clean up. 😀
Ferry travel is different for me . . . I get out, walk around, listen to the boat slicing through the water, talk to the kids, follow the cry of the gulls, and admire the approaching coastline.
Of course, I’ve seldom taken a ferry in the “cooler” months. If I had, I might well have stayed inside the perimeter of my vehicle to read, meditate, and clean up. I am a FAIR WEATHER sailer.
that reminds me of a two-hour wait to cross a bridge during a snow storm. my camera was with me, so i had fun capturing some moments, since there was nothing else to do. however quite honestly, your view is much more inspiring 🙂
thanks for sharing
Wow, Kris. That’s quite a long wait in the middle of a snow storm. As my thoughts danced with the twirling flakes, I would long to “be” home . . . in front of a blazing fire . . . with a hot toddy or hot buttered rum. Yum.
Oh, sorry . . . got a bit distracted for a moment. 😉
Glad that you capture a few of the moments. Snow does look pretty in pictures.
Lovely to have a break from the mad rush, Nancy, unless you’re in a hurry… but so what!
Thanks, Denise. If we are already “running late,” it’s hard to wind down for even a few minutes. But mastering the art is worth it . . . our freedom is at stake. 😉
I’m a little scared of draw bridges and a lot of height so yikes. Enjoing the view would be nice. It’s a lot better than the crickty old Cheasapeke Bay Bridge that we went over when I was 18 and we moved to Virginia. In the middle we had to stop for the draw bridge. It was scary.
You’re not alone, Linda. Some people are afraid of driving across bridges and through tunnels.
At the Delaware Memorial Bridge, between Delaware and NJ, drivers who are afraid of driving over bridges can stop and a volunteer will take the wheel to drive them across the bridge. The volunteer stops at the volunteer station on the other side of the bridge and gets out and the owner of the car resumes their travels.
I’m usually too busy enjoying the view to worry about the ride.
Here in New York, you can get a spectacular, panoramic view of the Manhattan Skyline, while stuck in traffic on the Queensboro Bridge; or certain portions of the Long Island Expressway. You can also get a spectacuar view of Manhattan, “The Magic Island at the Center of the World” while stuck in traffic on New Jersey’s Route 3. However, I strongly doubt that you would have any sense of relaxation.
I agree, William . . . beautiful views, but I’ve never found driving on the Long Island Expressway to be relaxing. 😉
Not a bad place to be stuck with that water view! Beautiful, calm day 🙂
Exactly! Great on a beautiful calm day . . . not so great in the midst of a tropical storm or hurricane. 😉
Great pictures! Drawbridges are a bit scary to me, but I guess I’d get used to it after a while.
I’m thinking if Phoenix did drawbridges at railroad crossings, people would quit driving around the ‘no crossing’ barricades to beat the trains. The only problem is we don’t have any water 😦
That’s an idea, Janna. Instead of the RR gates coming down . . . the road could go up.
Bet you’d see daredevils charging up the ramp (like in the movies) and jumping across to the other side. 😯
I love that picture of the bridge going up. Perfect moment! 😉
I’m not usually first in line like that . . . and my windshield is not always clean enough to shoot through . . . and sometimes the sun is in my eyes.
So it was the perfect moment. It “clicked.” 😆
Damn – 😆 – that’s some “stuck”!
It’s a delightful place to stop and catch the breeze. When I’ve biked over the bridge . . . I always stop to see the sights. 😀
Good job of finding joy in the moment. Where is that bridge?
That’s on S.R. 64 between Bradenton and Anna Maria Island.
This totally reminds me of a scene from ‘The Blues Brothers’…
you didn’t jump it, did you, Nancy?!
😉
I love that scene! Ho Lee Schitt, Batman . . . we’re airborne!