Every Second Counts
October 11, 2011 at 8:14 pm (Etiquette, Flying Off the Handle, Lindsey is a Big Baby, Things I Do in My Condo, Things I Do on the Train, Work)
I was talking to a friend about how when something bad happens to me, I blame it on something causing it. That probably doesn’t make sense.
Sometimes when I get to the train station about 35 seconds too late, I instantly think, “Ugh! Why didn’t I log off my computer just that much sooner!” I start reviewing all the little things that could have been different — I shouldn’t have swiped my chapstick on my lips that last time; I shouldn’t have refilled my water; I should have changed into my ‘walking’ shoes while shutting my computer down — that would have allowed me to get to the train on time.
Car accidents, speeding tickets, getting lost — those are all examples where thoughts like that go through my head.
However, I’ve started doing the negative thinking before anything bad has even happened. Another commuting-related example. When I’ve just left the office and am stuck walking behind a person who is in absolutely no rush, I start thinking, “Seriously! I’m going to miss the train because of you! I just want to go home and now you are going to make me have to wait an extra 10 minutes!”
Then I remind myself that 10 minutes isn’t a big deal and that in the grand scheme of things, my life won’t be that much different.
But then I think about the potential of bad things that might happen after getting on the later train. Maybe there’s a shooting. Maybe the train derails. Maybe the train breaks down and it takes four hours to get home. Maybe when I get home and step into the elevator, it shuts down, trapping me inside for hours (and I’d probably really need to use the bathroom — what to do?!) or it shuts down and then plummets to the basement. Maybe I make it to my condo but something bad has happened to my little pup that could have been avoided if I’d gotten home 10 minutes earlier.
As I’m pounding the pavement, blaming all of these awful things on the stranger I’ve already passed, I realize I’ve made it to the train in ample time and that all my negative thoughts were for nothing. Lesson learned: Minneapolis sidewalks are wide enough to easily pass people; find something else to over-think.
