The Traffic Lights In Our Lives

I am sure Mirians who drive along the roads in Marina Parkcity area must have noticed the number of traffic lights in the area. On some days when I am driving through this area, I get red light whenever I approach a traffic light. It can be a bit frustrating having to stop so often but I need to obey traffic rules.  On other days, Lady Luck seems to be with me and I drive through the area without hitting a single red light.

In life, we also experience similar happenings. We have days when everything seems like a breeze. Then there are days when Murphy’s Law rears its ugly head and anything that can go wrong really goes wrong.  Ever experience such days?

We can use the concept of traffic lights in handling our lives. The typical traffic light has three colours – green, yellow, red. We can associate three behavioural responses with the traffic light colours – go, slow down, stop.

Green Light – Go

Green means it is time to forge forwards and get going again. We anticipate an impending accomplishment or the start of a new career or venture.  We move eagerly ahead in anticipation of a smooth journey.  Soon we settle into a comfortable cruise – our comfort zone – until yellow or red light flashes.

Yellow Light – Slow Down

When the traffic light turns yellow, most people proceed with caution and start to slow down. But there are others who quickly speed up and race through the yellow light. When the traffic lights in our lives have turned yellow, we should slow down rather than trying to speed up.  We will experience anxiety when we are caught up in our daily busyness and our frantic pace in life. It is time to think about taking time off to relax and unwind. We need to slow down and try to maintain balance in our life so there is time to take care of yourself and your relationships. Yellow light occurs when we feel some hesitancy in our life and we proceed with caution. Failure to respond to yellow light warnings will hurtle us into red light phase of our lives.

Red Light – Stop

When red light flashes in our life, we need to STOP. Ignoring it will be detrimental to us. And sometimes it may be already too late.  We are so caught up in our jobs that we have ignored our family. Marriages may have reached the point where they are about to hit the rocks. Children feel so neglected that they have gone astray. Our body are giving us signals that things are not right within our body. Cracks are appearing in relationships. All these are red flags that we need to immediately attend to. We need to stop and evaluate our life. We need to take immediate corrective actions.

We should also apply the concept of red light before we take any action or say anything. Listen to those around you. Be fully engaged in what they are trying to tell you. Watch their body language for subtle messages. Listen to your inner voice. Think carefully before we utter any words that can cause hurt. Put a stop to negative thoughts and banish them from our mind. Put a stop to all bad habits.

I have been through agonising phases in my life when the red light seemed to never stop flashing.  I have endured years of hardships and heartaches. I have experienced much despair and hopelessness. I have endured some backstabbing by some “friends”.  I have spent countless nights staring at ceilings, wondering whether tomorrow would be better.  But I have persevered.  And I have emerged from my trials and tribulations a much better and stronger person. I will forever be indebted to my wife, my two sons, my late mum, my brothers and my sister for not abandoning me in my darkest hours. You all gave me strength to carry on. Praise the Lord!

About one and a half years have elapsed since I retired from the corporate world. I am cruising along enjoying my retirement.  Some friends who are still working cannot understand how I can pass my days.  I can only tell them that time seems to be flying by so fast for me.

Now that I am retired, I have a lot of time to stop and smell the roses. I have lots of time to enjoy reading and photography. I can watch movies and listen to good music to my heart’s content. I challenge myself to write more blog articles. I look forward to sightseeing trips.  I love indulging in social media.  I try in my own small ways to leave some footprints in the lives of others.

With retirement, it is so much easier to manage the traffic lights in my life. With retirement, my life ceases to be so hectic and stressful.  I need not have to worry about bosses throwing temper tantrums.  I need not have to worry about the tax department. I don’t have to worry about reporting deadlines.  I don’t have to worry about office politics. I don’t have to cringe at the lengths some people would resort to in apple-polishing the bosses.

I love this poem and may you all seek comfort in the Lord!

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND BY MARY STEVENSON

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”