I live eleven kilometers away from the university where I work. My mornings begin early — I rise at five am, enjoy a cup of coffee, and leave the house by six, ahead of my two senior high school children, and brace myself for the daily commute.
My route takes me through the notorious Ungka flyover, a stretch of road infamous for relentless traffic jams and frantic commuter lines. Every day, I face the same scenario, where I am forced to squeeze into an overcrowded bus, only to get stuck in a sea of vehicles. Some other times, I had to take a cab when an overflow of commuters swarms the area.
Stressful mornings are a reality. I see the faces of students panicking that they may not make it to their first class. Bus and jeepney dispatchers howl periodically, assuring passengers that an empty vehicle will soon arrive to transport them to their destinations.
Truce With Stress
With the chaos around, some mornings are ruined. For me, I made a truce with stress a long time ago. I refuse to let it weigh me down, choosing instead to embrace positivity as I begin my day.
I choose to smell the morning breeze, feel the rays of the sunrise, and enjoy the rush of speeding vehicles. These simple pleasures become my focus, helping me to stay positive.
The reality is that in life, countless circumstances present themselves as stress traps - unexpected delays, risks of tardiness, and discomforts of public transportation, are a recipe for a disastrous morning. Dwelling on these negatives inevitably leads to feeling agitated or drained before reaching one’s destination. I refuse to let that happen. I make it a point to wear my usual vibrant face once I enter my classroom.
Practice 'Me-Time'
With the seemingly endless traffic, I have discovered a new way to cope with it. I have learned to shut off my environment and enter a different portal - a creative space that exists in the palm of my hand.
While riding a crammed bus, I play with the letters on my mobile screen and pour out my creative thoughts. It can be a paragraph for my journal, stories I need to tell to my Ethics class, or just bits and pieces of ideas for this very column. Some days, when inspiration seems elusive, I read my e-books, whether fiction or academic texts that I reference for my classes. Those long minutes in an overcrowded bus have oddly become my precious "me-time."
The daily ritual of writing or reading in my daily commute is no longer just a way just to pass the time. They have become my creative time blocks where I can be productive and practice self-care.
What could have been a source of frustration has transformed into valuable pockets of time where I can nurture my passion for writing and teaching.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonColumn #ColumnbyMarjorieMaido #OutOfTheBox