And it got me thinking…
I’m currently stuck in traffic, Adele blaring through the speakers, heating on full blast and the lights flashing red to green, and I’m still not moving.
Taken by: Ruby Waters
I have spent many moments of my day stressing about little passing moments, overthinking about the moments to come, and dreading the very moments I overthought into existence.
It’s currently 7:15pm on a Monday, the sun has long set and been replaced with a full moon, which has been glaring at me since I’ve been stuck at these traffic lights. The red Corsa in front of me seems to be letting every car out since we hopped onto the carriage way, which means I’ve been stuck and sitting in the same spot for five minutes now. I look around at all my fellow drivers, who are all facing the same miserable journey home, and I see windows full of people, different stories, different attitudes, different behaviours, different lives.
And it got me thinking…
We, as a collective society of humans, spend hours of our lives pointlessly stressing over matters that are out of control. In fact, so much of life is simply that, just uncontrollable- the thing is, we are all just spectators of the days passing by. The sun will rise every morning, just like it will set, and what we do with our day does not affect this pattern. So, the real question lingering through my brain as rolling in the deep begins to play… is it that deep? What I’m questioning you ask, is literally anything and everything.
The number of times a day I will make the remark “I’m trying to be healthy” in response to asking if I’m getting a snack or being offered a bite of something. It was the excuse I made as to why not to buy a piece of flapjack in between my seminars- and by the way, I love flapjack. Don’t get me wrong, I understand if you’re on a disciplined diet, or you’re training for a particular event. However, I am not one of those people. I’m generally healthy, I get my 10, 000 steps in a day and go to the gym a couple of times a week. So, don’t I deserve that flapjack? Looking at the bigger picture, it really isn’t that deep.
I then went to my next seminar, in which the light for low battery began to flash very aggressively at me. There was no sight of a plug socket near me, so I had to pray to my angels that my last drop of battery would last the hour. But it didn’t, and the stress building up to the minute of my screen turning black and not returning to life, distracted me from the whole class. I was forced to actually listen. However, once I began to listen- a feeling of relief washed over me, as I began to understand the topic at hand, meaning the notes I would later finish would make much more sense. So, all the dread and worry were just pointless- it wasn’t that deep.
And finally, now in this moment, I am faced with that same feeling of aggravation and worry, as the moment of stepping foot into my home is being prolonged by teatime traffic. But I have developed a certain sense of understanding, as the song Rolling In The Deep comes to an end, and I Drink Wine begins (so I must stop talking soon because I am going to be belting this one like I am Adele herself). All this means, is I will shower later, eat later, and get in bed later. But I will be showering, I will be eating, and I will still be getting into bed. I am just not meant to be doing it yet, the universe is telling me to slow down and understand that I am right where I am meant to be.
Maybe that is one of the secrets to life, understanding that to live a slow life is one of the biggest reliefs, nothing needs to be rushed, and everything just needs time. So, allow that time to flow by, because you don’t want to miss a second of it.
And if you take anything from this with you tonight, then I hope you take this. In those moments, when tension rises in your body, and your head floods with anxiety, just take a deep breath in , breathe out the bad and take a step back from the situation which seems so serious. Then simply ask yourself, is it that deep?
Written by Ruby Waters
Edited by Isabel Butler