Yesterday, there was an extraordinary amount of traffic on the road in Mumbai. Classic evening office rush only worsened by classic Mumbai rains.
I had left two hours before the flight in the doomed direction of the flowing traffic. I was scheduled to travel as a passenger to operate further. The GPS showed 50mins on the clock.
As I sat in the transport and tried to recount my day, I watched the hustle of the street vendors and interjecting cars. I silently thanked my stars that I did not have to do the driving in this chaos.
As time passed, the distance didn’t. We crawled at a snail’s pace through the choc-a-blocked cars. When it began to look like we may be cutting it fine, I called the office to inform my position.
I was aware of the consequences of the delay and what it meant in real-time. I went into problem-solving mode and began silent evaluations. I observed my increased capacity to absorb the discomfort of the situation.
To not externalize the discomfort and unknowingly transfer it to the driver or internalize it by getting anxious and imagining the worst possible outcome, felt good.
My rational mind called the office and made the necessary arrangements to expedite the process once I reached the airport.
My emotional mind was doing deep breathing to calm down my nervous system from the panic response and to remain in the hear and now.
My wise mind said the serenity prayer. I prayed for strength to accept the things I cannot change. For courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to tell the difference.
It is hard to remain calm in the face of adversity but not impossible! Becomes better with practice, I suppose.
Be Mindful! Be Aware! Be Present!
Until next time…@thethinkingcaptain.com
The Thinking Captain! 
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