Life in the Fast Lane

In this age of "instant gratification", where nearly everything is available by the click of a mouse--information, goods, new acquaintances, and much more--it feels almost "old-fashioned" to sit down, to slow down, and read a book. You can research practically anything from the comfort of your own home, at the computer. No need to venture out to the library anymore! It's right at your fingertips, just point and click, and there's a wealth of information and options. It's remarkable and yet, is this making us all a bit impatient in life? Yesterday I was thinking about that quite a bit. I had driven to the gas station (VONS Gas) to fuel up my gas-guzzling SUV (which costs me well over $50 per visit these days) and I started to get upset when I saw the long, winding lines at the pumps. Normally I'd be muttering under my breath. This time, though, I took a deep breath and thought, take a different approach. Embrace (for lack of a better word) this. Maybe it will help me become patient again. I exhaled, and ate a few pretzels that I had in my car (delicious sourdough Bavarian pretzels). I channel surfed and found a great song on the radio by Dave Matthews called, I think, "Everyday", which nearly always chokes me up. It was a pleasant interlude in my otherwise hectic day (even though I live in "laid-back" Southern California, my life is anything but). The driver in front of me then signaled that I could go in front of him to a now available pump. I declined and decided to wait. How nice to wait for something!