A 12 Minute Gift

I wanted to get to the office early, to tackle the formidable tasks on my to-do list. Of course, as soon as I entered the train station, my train was arriving. I booked it through the turnstile and trotted down the stairs and burst out onto the platform…just as the conductor shut the doors.

My first reaction was an internal howl of frustration followed by some silent swear words. The next train was fifteen minutes away. Crap! Fifteen whole minutes wasted!!

It took a little bit, but eventually, it dawned on me: This time is a gift. This is unexpected free time. I could really do something good, something productive here.

I glanced up at the schedule:

I had only wasted three minutes. Time to switch my mindset, adjust my attitude:

I decided to walk the platform. Walking gives me some moderate cardiovascular activity, creative thinking time, effective stress release, and…

Walking up and down the platform for 12 minutes also got me 1225 steps on my Fitbit, which equals just over half a mile!

Other good-for-me things I could have done:

12 minutes of meditation, or Relaxation Response breathing

12 minutes of writing (I often blog on my phone. I’m blogging this on my phone right now, on the train.)

12 minutes of reaching out to friends on email or Facebook. Meaning not mindlessly scrolling, but actively engaging.

What I’m glad I did not do: sit on my butt fuming about missing one train, while waiting for another train.