Waiting Mindfully or Mindlessly?

The other day, I was waiting to cross the street at a busy intersection. It was raining. Thankfully, I had an umbrella and was in a patient mood, just happy to be out of the house by myself (a rarity during Covid times). So I watched the orange hand and patiently waited. And waited. And waited. I calmly took in my surroundings. Light grey skies. Cars whooshing by. The smell of early summer rain on asphalt. The sound of raindrops on my umbrella. The cool air against my bare legs. I thought to myself, "this is a long light" and was glad not to be in a rush. I was content to just be in the moment. Accepting it unconditionally. Accepting it fully. So fully that it took several more moments before I realized that the orange hand was never changing. Traffic from every direction was getting a turn to go, but my walking light was never coming. Then I walked around to the other side of the pole I was standing by and saw it - the crosswalk button. I giggled and thought to myself,

"Sometimes you need to accept what is. Other times, push the button."

So I did.

This moment was like a microcosm of my life. I am quick to accept situations as they are and slow to initiate action or change. This was a good reminder that sometimes the appropriate action is right in front of me and can be as simple as pushing a button.

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