Anybody notice that traffic jams seem to have become a constant headache these days?
Out for morning errands this week, it took me a full 20 minutes to drive the highway stretch through Ajijic. Grumbling as the long line of cars in front of me came to a halt, I wondered whether to blame the nuisance on the recent influx of snowbird residents or an upsurge of holiday shoppers.
Just then I glanced ahead to the traffic signal at the corner of Calle Juarez, puzzled by why no one was moving although the light shined green. Then I noticed that a car had stopped just short of the intersection, allowing another motorist heading out the village to make that steep and tricky turn onto the highway.
A couple of blocks later a truck driver paused to let a young mother and her little kids safely saunter across the busy roadway. A bit farther on, a driver left a space in the bumper-to-bumper traffic, signaling with a wave and a smile to let someone hang a left-hand turn off the straightaway.
These briefs moments of kindness to strangers totally dispelled my Bah-Humbug mood. I drove on, relaxed and unhurried, knowing that I’d get to my destination sooner or later. The world wouldn’t end if I arrived a few minutes behind schedule.
More than that, I felt compelled to emulate the exemplary folks I had just witnessed … at least until the end of the frantic Christmas season.
“Tis the season to expel your inner Scrooge,” I told myself. “Make an effort to show everyone you encounter your polite, friendly and generous side.”
I made a mental to-do list. Despite the frenzy in marts of trade, make a point of greeting shopkeepers and supermarket cashiers in an amicable way. Don’t be stingy in handing out tips to the bag people, the old man who loads my groceries into the car, restaurant waiters, the guys who pump gas, deliver water, propane and haul away the household trash. Give more than the law requires for aguinaldo Christmas bonuses due to the domestic help.
Cultivate peace of mind and joy. Breathe deep and take your time when stress levels are raised by the burden of multiple holiday tasks. Patiently tackle one thing at a time and don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get around to all the home decorating and cookie baking and candy making and eggnog brewing you hope to accomplish this year.
Take a break from Facebook and the local web boards that are rife with depressing news and snarky commentaries. Get out and about instead to enjoy typical village festivities and see exuberant Poinsettias in bloom. And keep the phrase Feliz Navidad on the tip of your tongue. The customary salute will be returned in kind, keeping heart, mind and soul filled with Christmas cheer.
Who knows ... maybe the kinder, gentler attitude will stick, sending Grumpy Me out to pasture as 2017 dawns.
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