Trip to Tübingen

My neighbor and I have a great rapport. We do many things together like cycling, cooking, going for a walk in the forest, watching a movie, etc. She invited me today to go with her and her son to a city called Tübingen near Stuttgart to see the exhibition of the famous painter, Leonardo Da Vinci. Her son had a project at school and this exhibition would help him to collect information and seek a first-hand experience over the paintings.

She had first decided to go by train. It would have taken us 2.30 hours to get to that city after changing a few times. Then she decided to drive as it gives flexibility and we can decide when to start for home in the evening. Train timings often stress us out and then we lose time and interest as the day progresses. We took the risk of starting at 12 from home and without listening to the traffic news which is usually telecast every hour on all the Radio FM channels.

The highway to Stuttgart is notorious for its traffic. It's always full and crowded and there are a lot of construction sites on that stretch which make the traffic even more slower. We decided to skip a part of the highway and join at a point from where we expected the traffic to be smooth. We had to catch up on the tour of the exhibition hall at 4 pm and we had ample of time in our hands. After joining the highway at the point where we had expected it to be without problems, a surprise was in store for us.

There was a 5 km stretch which was full of cars, thanks to an accident which had taken place at the construction site. The road was blocked after a point and all the vehicles going to Stuttgart had to take a detour through small towns nearby the highway. My neighbor was at the wheel and she was constantly talking and lamenting the decision to drive today. There was nothing much we could do stuck in the traffic. All the vehicles had to follow the lane, trying to keep their cool in the scorching sun. We took almost 2 hrs to cover the 5 km stretch and by then everyone had lost the interest and patience to go till Tübingen and see the exhibition there. We decided to take the next possible turn and head back home. The boys decided to go swimming and we ladies decided to go cycling or walking in the forest. After spending good 4 hrs in the car and driving only till the nearest town, Pforzheim, we headed home after cooling our heads with a nice ice-cream at a famous ice-cream joint.

What did I learn from this trip?

1. Sometimes you get stuck in situations in life where you are helpless. You have never expected that situation and you land straight into it. You can do nothing but sit and watch the traffic or the hazy weather in your life get cleared.

2. Patience is the key. No matter how much you fret and fume, you will get out of the situation when the right time comes. You have to wait for it. Cursing, blaming, getting angry will not help you get out of the situation.

3. Try to see beyond the problem.  It was a good drive till the traffic met us and on the way back, the traffic was smooth and we also had a nice ice-cream and a good chat with each other. No matter what, the bad times will make way for the good times. You just need to be hopeful and wait for it.

It was an eye-opener for me and set me into thinking. I had to write about it.

So, tell me about such situations in your life. What did you do? What did you learn?