A Little Reverse Thinking

Today I headed downtown to drop off my last final project of the semester and ended up on the Purple Line to the Loop. While there is nothing wrong with the purple line, I'm just very used to taking the Brown. The difference? Not much: the purple circles the Loop in the opposite direction than the brown but both lead to the same place (I discovered this difference after hopping the train by accident one day). My destination is smack in the middle, so it really doesn't matter which color I take, it's just a matter of routine and pure preference.

I had always avoided this train because I never knew where it went, what stops it made, etc. Although I had an idea, I just wasn't ready to try something new. I think we all tend to stick to routines and preferences most of the time, rather than trying something different from time to time. This path is safer because we know what is going to happen. In my case, I knew the order of stops by heart and due to routine, my brain was trained to know when to get off without listening to the train operator. I'm glad the purple picked me up at the Diversey stop today, because it helped give me a reverse (pun intended) point of view. I was forced to pay attention to my surroundings and where I was as the train traveled through the city.

As I watched building after building pass by the window, I began to imagine each building as a problem I currently have a bad attitude about. Like my outrageous medical bills. Clearly my student insurance sucks and it never dawned on me to budget about a $1,000 for medical needs when I thought up my grand financial plan when I moved. Things happen, you can get sick for an entire month and end up in the hole. I decided I would pay the bills quickly, like ripping off a band-aid, and say goodbye to the problem as quick as that notorious red building flew out of my vision. Let's just hope I don't get sick again... if for any reason because I can't afford it! Ah, bless this crappy health care system... no wonder my brother works 24/7 on health care bills at the CBO in D.C.

I've been feeling awful bad for myself these days, but this ride around town in a direction I wasn't used to helped me realize it's time to reverse my thinking and turn things around. I'm lucky enough to be able to be back in school and have learned so much in my first quarter (about journalism and myself) that it is hard to have regrets or bad feelings still in my system, especially with the holidays coming up. Money is a large part of life, but I've been rich in other ways over the last few months (OK, corny, I know, please don't gag). I keep repeating this to myself, hoping I will be convinced of it by the end of the day. I kind of have to because there is no choice really except to stress about it which never leads to anything good.

Life goes on, sometimes in directions you don't expect. But it's our job to step on the train, sit down, and learn something during the ride. Oh yeah, and enjoy it, too. Thanks to the Purple Line, I've learned my lessons and am prepared to let go and start fresh. After all, I've handed in my last final projects and am officially done with school for six weeks! It surely is a time to celebrate and be happy.

Here's to hoping you all have courage to take your ride of the Purple Line sometime soon if you need it. A special shout out to my sister, who had the courage to get on the train: just keep holding on and fasten your proverbial seat belt, you'll make it to your next destination--some place much better--in one piece. I promise :)