Ten Reminders from a Road Diversion !!

During my everyday drive to work, I have to cross a British-era bridge. The bridge has been closed for about a month for renovations, and due to a lengthy diversion through village roads, our daily commute has been extended by thirty minutes.

The diversion, despite its length, pain, and annoyance, reminded me of the following:

Change is Hard.

Everyone was upset during the first few days of the road diversion. The commuters who had to travel for long. Drivers who were exhausted. The cops who were fed up of arguing with motorists and enforcing the diversion. The peasants' whose tranquil roadways became congested, forcing them to shift to smaller paths or walk through the fields.

Change is hard, for everyone. Recognizing and embracing it will not make the change easy, but it is a step in the right direction.

Realising who is the first victim of change.

I realised that the first victim of every change is ‘Me.'

30 extra minutes spent driving meant 30 minutes of not doing something else. For me, that something else happened to be the things I do for myself, such as running and meditating.

That thirty minutes could have come from work, social media time, or rescheduling evening appointments, but none of those alternatives crossed my mind.

It’s not just me. Because it is so easy to compromise on ourselves, most of us do it simply without thinking.

What’s common to one, is unique to someone else.

In those first few days of the diversion, people in the car were admiring and photographing the lush green fields.

The villagers, amused by the never-ending parade of vehicles on their usually empty roads, sat in groups and watched the bustle.

Appreciate those who do ‘more’ with ‘less’.

The locals saw the diversion as an opportunity and began selling their produce along the way. We bought some ‘farm fresh’ produce, and the seller’s delight at making the sale for a few rupees was priceless. Presumably, his happiness stems from being able to sell his items directly, bypassing the middlemen, all without having to leave his community. The meagre additional gains made in the process meant a lot to him, as seen by his smile.

Respect physical work.

The members of my carpool were fatigued due to the slow pace of the detour, as well as the poor roads and scorching afternoon heat (despite the air conditioning). Apart from the driver, all of the other passengers in the car (including me!!) used to fall asleep during the detour.

When it was my turn to drive, I noticed at the same time, my coworkers dozing and farmers toiling in the fields in the afternoon sun.

A stark reminders of the comforts we have and take for granted.

Good company makes everything bearable.

Some days, due to bottlenecks and gridlocks, we were stuck for hours. Thankfully I wasn’t alone, or else I would have been at my wit’s end. Having friends and colleagues in the car helped to make light of the situation and made everything bearable.

Share a meal, Share a laugh.

The detour took us through the residential part of the village, and I could see families sitting in their “thinnai” (raised floor / verandah) having their afternoon meal, or having a post meal siesta, or lying down and chatting.

A family full of working white collar professionals would be lucky to share a single meal with their whole family in a week.

Decrease wants.

Seeing all this, a carpool buddy commented ’ Happiness lies not in earning more, but in decreasing wants' & ‘Lesser the need, more the happiness’.

As a minimalist, I couldn’t agree more.

Eventually, Change becomes a Habit.

For a week, we grumbled about the diversion.

Then, we got used to it.

It became a routine, and as we and the other regular commuters got used to it, we became better at navigating the diverted roads. What used to be a thirty minute diversion, became a twenty minute diversion.

This too shall pass.

Another week, and the bridge would be repaired. The diversion will soon be forgotten, as we switch back to our old route.

This too shall pass, and all I have to do is to endure it for a short while.