There is construction on the interstate. The delays are making people late to class. It’s frustrating. For them, and for everyone who is trying to get where they are going. The interstate has been under construction for about twenty years. No completion date has been announced. Therefore, maybe we can use the traffic jams: Instead of regarding the delay as a something impeding our training, we can use them as training. Instead of sitting there feeling frustrated, we can use the time to train in patience, equanimity and forbearance. Which is not necessarily fun. But, then, at some other time, when we encounter higher and more intense challenges, we might respond with more poise, more skill, and be less likely to yield to anger, turbulence and confusion.
A traffic jam is one thing. If someone is messing with us, threatening people, doing harm, then, if we are well-trained to stay cool under pressure, we will respond with appropriate, skillful action, however vigorous that may be.
Being present in the moment does not mean being passive or not caring. It means being clear and aware. That takes training. We start by training under conditions that are within our capacity, just as we do with physical training, training consistently at levels that are demanding but doable, to increase our physical strength and skill.
So, we can make use of the traffic delay, even though we do not like it. We can make it a training tool instead of a burden. And jump right into class ready to go, even if we are running a little late.
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Post copyright © 2025 Jeffrey Brooks, MountainKarateNC.com, Yamabayashi Ryu, Mountain Karate Dojo, in the mountains of western NC.
Photo by Jacek Dylag via Pexels
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read True Karate Dō by Jeffrey Brooks
“One of the best books I’ve read in years, inviting and compelling. Jeff Brooks moves effortlessly from martial arts to Buddhism to consciousness studies, self-transformation, and related fields in this wide-ranging and Illuminating study that has much to offer both novice explorers and veteran practitioners. A splendid achievement.”— Philip Zaleski, Editor, The Best Spiritual Writing series