trials – Elisabeth Warner

I slipped my shoes on and opened the front door. My mom looked at me with a confused look on her face. “Where are you going?” she asked. “Oh, I’m going for a run,” I replied casually. “But…” As I opened the door, I realized why my mom was concerned. It was raining. Why would I go for a run in the rain? What if I slipped or got a cold?

Regardless, I wanted to run, so I decided to give it a try. I found a street near my house and started running. Normally, if I run at all, I only run about three blocks in one direction, and then I stop. So I only planned on running a few blocks.

However, for some reason, I had a desire to keep going. The rain was refreshing to my skin. I wasn’t that tired. I didn’t stop. I focused on my breathing and kept going.

I ran all the way to the end of the road. I thought I was done, but I felt the desire again. Keep going. Running reminded me of the mile run that I had to complete when I was in middle and high school. I could never completely run a mile, let alone in the thirteen minutes in which we were required to complete it. With the new endurance and strength I felt, I wondered why it was so difficult for me to run when I was younger. At that moment, I had no problem running for a long period of time.

I turned the corner and ran to the end. Keep going. I ran for one more block. Keep going. One more block. Keep going. One more block. I could feel my legs getting tired. Keep going. I could see my street in front of me. As I gasped for air, I set a new goal for myself: run to the street and stop. The wind and the rain kept me cool as I pressed on toward my destination. With the last ounce of energy I had, I pushed to the end.

My heart pounded, my legs shook, and my head spun, but I had done it! I walked home, catching my breath, thankful for the strength that had gotten me all the way around my neighborhood. When I arrived home, I checked the map on my phone to see how far I had gone. Normally, when I went for a run around the neighborhood, I had thought I could only run 1,540 feet (three blocks). However, that day I ran 1.46 miles, plus the distance I walked back to my house!

So, what did I learn? My biggest enemy is me. I put limits on myself that distract me from my true potential. When I had stopped listening to the voice that told me to give up, I realized that I am capable of much more than I had ever thought.

And…I learned this in the rain, when the sun was hidden, when most people would choose to stay inside.

The following blog post is 99% metaphorical.

As I left the school today, I groaned at the time. 3:40. By the time I hit the road, it would be rush hour, and there would be no chance of me getting home before 5. The commute to the school is never that bad. Sure, sometimes there will be an accident or construction on the road, but usually I make it to the school in less than an hour. But for some reason, no matter what time I leave the school (especially during rush hour), I do not make it home at a decent hour.

I turned up the radio and drove to the main road. I managed to get to the highway entrance without hitting any lights. As I raced my car down the highway, I thought I actually had hope in getting home early. Then, all of a sudden, there is a sea of red lights in my path. Every car was completely stopped. My car jolted as I slammed on the brakes, barely missing an accident with the car in front of me. Well, there goes my opportunity for fun. Did I mention I was thirsty, in desperate need of some watermelon?

If there was any chance of movement in the next lane, I would quickly change lanes to get at least a foot farther than where I was before. I kept moving, I kept going, not being satisfied where I was. But no matter where I moved, there was traffic in my way. I couldn’t go far. I had to simply stay put and wait for the traffic to end.

I rolled my eyes as each exit sign slowly passed by my view. One exit closer, ten minutes later. My mind replayed all of the people who have complained to me about rush hour in the past. Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as some people have made it out to seem, but it still wasn’t a pleasant experience. Thirsty, hungry, and tired, I could not even sing along to the music on the radio.

As I listened to the radio, the song “One Thing Remains” came on. I decided to sing it out loud, because it talks about dealing with trials. I sang each word, enunciating each consonant. The traffic didn’t go away, but suddenly, I began to laugh at my predicament. Here I am, sitting in a car, after having a great class with my students, having had the opportunity to practice what I have learned in my TEFL certification class, and I am complaining! How long would I really be in the car, two hours at most? Why would I let two hours ruin my whole day?

To cope with the rest of the ride, I did a few things to lighten the situation. First of all, I continued playing music from a CD. I used my steering wheel as a drum. I found harmonies to the songs on the radio. In the end, although I was by myself, I laughed at the ludicrousness of the whole situation. I didn’t care if other people were watching me dance. As a matter of fact, I was hoping that my laughter and joy would catch on so that they had no reason to complain.

Secondly, I looked to the other side, to the people who were going in the other direction. They really were at a dead stop, while we were at least crawling. I know it’s bad to laugh at the misfortune of others, but I at least had to enjoy the fact that I wasn’t as unfortunate as the drivers on the other side of the road.

Finally, I thanked God when the road actually began to clear. It would have been easy for me to say, “Well, it’s about time!” However, I knew that, at that time in the day, the roads should have been jammed until my exit. After all of my complaining and expecting, I made it home in a little over an hour. I was home before 5. God showed me mercy on this hot, thirst-inducing day. All I could do was thank him that my experience wasn’t much worse.

Before I finally got home, there was a stop light that almost brought me over the edge. There were at least ten cars waiting for the stop light. Seriously? I had one more little obstacle blocking me from making it back to my house. Just as I was about to find a detour, I stopped myself. I made it this far; why wouldn’t I stick it out until the end? I waited a few seconds for the light to turn green. I shifted into the turning lane and made it safely back to my house.

If you are dealing with a frustrating situation, how are you going to respond? Are you going to complain and try to avoid it, or are you going to make the most out of it? Wait it out, and see what you can learn from it. Sometimes, we can’t avoid the traffic in our lives, but we can still dance in the midst of it and appreciate what we have.