Carlsbad Art and Culture

photo and inspiration submitted by Briana Mooney

A steady flow of compact 4 door cars screech to a halt as the overhead traffic light changes from yellow to red. Impatient drivers toss stink-eyed looks out their windows at annoyances who minutes ago were co-workers, but now represent another roadblock between them and their couch. The 5 o’clock traffic jam becomes as slow as the growing stubble of a 5 o’clock shadow. You glance beyond your white knuckles and warped steering wheel into your mirror where irritated red eyes glare back. Your feet sweat as you rev intimidations and insults towards your constricting competitors. The homeward path you visualize is scattered with numerous prizes, each awarded after a successful green light. Yellow represents an increased blood pressure and red is a clogged artery. Thick thunderclouds tease as they tumble through the darkening sky. Palms blow violently in the breeze contrasting with your stagnation. A dull atmosphere surrounds you, periodically interrupted by anxious breaklights tapping with uncontrollable twitches. Internally, you cringe more violently than a peak and trough riding buoy during a mid Atlantic storm. You hold your breath, fallowed by a primitive yelp as you ease within inches of your neighbors bumper. A fly lands on your wrist which ignites a furry of wild slaps and punches that gradually evolve into a complete attack that would quiet an ill behaved toddler. As you pull at you hair and curse oncoming traffic, the above light switches from the terrorizing red to the green of rolling hills. You ease the gas with a sigh of relief. Like a cheap thrill, your pleasure of mobility is short lived as you stare with empty eyes at the ticking time bomb of the next yellow light.

What if you tried to find the beauty in every circumstance?

Next time you find yourself in a traffic torment, open your eyes and find something beautiful, interesting and thought provoking. In time, you might find yourself enjoying those pesky red lights!