World Tour

This has become one of the most common things in my life. Every day I commute on the freeway to and from school. And every day it includes break lights and traffic jams. Bad drivers make me so angry and this commute has become a source of stress and frustration. 

Remember last year when I decided to do something about my dislike for winter? I went bobsledding and skiing and realized that while I could not control the weather I could control my attitude about it. 

I decided that was what needed to happen now. Obviously I can't stop driving as school is in the middle of town and I don't live anywhere close. And obviously I can't ask other people to stop driving because they all have places to be and things to do. And getting me to drive to school at 6:00 in the morning to avoid traffic is completely unrealistic. Like it or not, I can't control the traffic any better than I can control the weather. But I can control my attitude about it.  

And I realized that I could focus on other things during my drive. 

What I discovered? Well. I'm pretty much the luckiest girl in the entire world because my commute to school is basically like going on a world tour every. single. day. Let's be honest here.

I take a quick drive by Seattle.

Circle past Brazil.

I stop by Rome and hang out with my Augustus relatives for a minute while waiting for the green light. 

I wave at the Eiffel Tower.

There time to stay but I can squint and see the good old Hollywood sign. 

I stop by Italy again just for a minute, this time in Tuscany, because I just can't resist art and food.

And right before I get to school I stop across from Hofbrauhaus and pretend I'm in Germany. 

Then on my home I stop by Hard Rock. 

Then I drive past the Great Pyramid.

And I stop by Mandalay Bay and am on a beach in Australia. 

I can even go places that only exist in my imagination like the Emerald City (Wizard of Oz).

And Treasure Island!

Last, I stop and see the New York skyline.

Isn't that amazing?
Really, let's consider - that's five continents [plus some imaginary places].
In a matter of hours.

And I'm actually just in fabulous Las Vegas the whole time.

So that's my plan for the next two years. Change my attitude about my commute to recognize that there is an adventure to be had, that there are sights to appreciate. Take time to SLOW DOWN. If I get home 10 minutes later, then I get home 10 minutes later. The end. I don't need to get stressed by traffic jams and bad drivers. Because while I can't control that, I can control my attitude about it.

I'm sure there will be a few days that I still yell and scream politely ask drivers to get out of the way but I hope that overall, I will be a lot more chill, a lot more cheerful when I get off the roads. 

P.S. While I love my little world tour, my very favorite part of my commute was this billboard which has recently been removed. It was like my own personal reminder everyday about what was important, what I needed to be focusing on. My commute is an excellent time for me to just sit and chat with my Heavenly Father. 30 minutes or more, uninterrupted time just to express my gratitude for the many blessings I have and to ask for help figuring out the things that are complicated in my life. I'm grateful that billboard gave me that little nudge and helped me start to develop what I hope will become a treasured habit and routine. 

*Please excuse the quality of the photos. They were all taken with my iPhone. When I was stopped, mom.