The other day, my wife and I were driving to a friends house and we got caught in traffic. So my wife says --"Isn't the other lane going faster? Why don't you go in that lane?"
So I change my lane and guess what happens? My new lane slows down to a crawl and the lane I just left picks up speed! And this happens all the time, at least to me.
And when I go to the grocery store, its a given that a wheel on my cart will always develop a squeal that makes heads turn. When its time to check out, I look for the shortest line, and then I try to gauge all the check out clerks. I get in the line with the most intense looking cashier, the one who seems to be working the fastest. And after all this, more often than not, the person ahead of me, has some issues with his credit card.
What is the purpose of going through all these permutations and combinations- changing traffic lanes or check out lanes in stores? Obviously to save time. And how much time do we save? Maybe a couple of minutes, maybe a little more but mostly less. So this begs the question -- is saving a couple of minutes worth stressing the brain with all those calculations?
A recent research study, by no less than the "Academy of Science" researchers revealed that if there was just one check out lane at retail and grocery stores (like in most Banks), where the next customer is called whenever a cashier opens up, reduced the sub-conscious stress levels for the day, by about 10-25%. That does seem like a lot. Cynics among us (and there are many!) will wonder how in the heck can we measure sub-conscious stress levels-- and to that, I have no answer.
But the point of the research study should be well taken. A lot of us need to to take a chill pill, relax and take it a bit easy. A couple of minutes here or there, in our day-to-day lives, is not going to change the trajectory of one's life. There is more to life than just speeding it up.
When a person try's to control everything, that individual enjoys nothing. Sometimes, its therapeutic to let go and just let life happen. And you will be surprised how enjoyable and relaxing that feeling can be!
"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it." ~Jim Goodwin
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