Life At Slow-Mo

This afternoon I spent nearly two hours in traffic to go to a place where I was only needed for an hour. Now I am on my way home, and again caught in traffic. I’m estimating that I will need more than an hour to get home. All in all I spent about three hours in traffic to do something that only took me an hour. Talk about a waste of time.

But that’s the reality of living in a city with transportation planning that is close to non-existence.

We Jakartans have very limited options in this matter. We could either complain diligently, or shut up and silently bear the burden (and still complain occasionally when someone brings up the topic), or make adjustments to adapt to it.

For many, the last option is a luxury.

I am lucky that I could choose the latter. Many times, like now, I have someone to do the driving for me, while I can concentrate on something else. I am blessed with mobile productivity gadgets with which I could do some productive work while being in traffic.

I am embarrassed to think that just this afternoon I spent a great part of the way to my destination in grumbling, both silenty and digitally (on my social network), while in fact I have a lot to be thankful of.

Thank you God for providing me, the ungrateful one, with so much.