In Transit

 

It is 6:08 am. You are on the bus from the earlier time. You look out the window and hope the traffic continues to build up. Even though you still have to travel for another hour, you do not want to reach so quickly either.

 

 

You play over the things that will have to happen today. The assignments you have to complete, the conversations you will be having, and getting food from that favourite stall that you would have to fight everyone for.

 

 

You think about what fun things you might want to do at the end of the day when these chores are through. To watch the latest released episode of your favourite show, to play some games, or perhaps to go for a nice run around the park. You think about the coming holiday where you will be going for that long-awaited vacation.

 

 

Your excitement turns to dread as you remember the challenging presentation you have to give. You can’t wait for all that to be over. But, at the same time, you hope that you have more time to prepare.

 

 

The bus pulls to an abrupt halt as the traffic light turns yellow. That traffic light could have easily been beaten, you think to yourself. You check the time; it is 6:09 am.

 

You think about the journey back home.

 

 

Life is often observed and measured in points. It is these defining points where great men stamp their mark in history. By ceasing their moment, some men have made themselves great among other men, or so they say.

 

 

Though we understand life by looking at these highlights in our memory, almost all of life is lived in the in-betweens of these moments. We always look towards moments, but we live in transit, always in the process of leaving somewhere and going towards another. The journey draws out our impatience and frustration because nothing seems to happen in the in-betweens, but it is often the most exciting part of life.

 

 

When you drop a coloured dye into a beaker of water, it creates alluring patterns. The dye diffuses, develops, and evolves in complexity before eventually reaching an equilibrium and stabilising. I like to imagine transitions like this. The most happening part of life is between two states of equilibrium. In-betweens are challenging, but what we do and the way we think in transit makes us who we are.

 

 

Cherish your moment even when you are just in transit, because you do not want to kill time.