I Ran A Red Light Because I Was Putting My Makeup On

I would like to admit that I am not the best driver but I’m not a horrible driver, I promise. But like all of us, I sometimes get distracted. I was driving to school the other day, very early in the morning I might add and because I was distracted and tired, I ran a red light. Let me explain.

I woke up that morning, grabbed my bag, fixed myself the best I could, made my coffee and left my house. Now as a young girl, my mom always taught me to look my best because the image people have of us is how they judge us. Although that isn’t always fair, she is right, often times people judge based on what they see. And there is nothing wrong with wanting to look your best.

As I was driving to school, I realized that I hadn’t put on my makeup yet. Like any female would when they drive, I pulled out my makeup bag and began to apply it because I believed I could multitask, not realizing I should only do that when I am fully awake. Before I put the next stroke of mascara on my eye lash, I looked at the traffic light and saw that it had just turned yellow, thinking I could make it, I kept driving not bothering to realize that by the time I made it through the light it would have already turned red, I was too distracted.

Stop lights are placed to keep us safe, to regulate traffic and to warn us not to go forward into the danger of the cars going opposite ways from us. Stop lights are checkpoints to see if we should keep moving straight or if we need to turn directions and go somewhere else. Traffic lights are there to guide us.

But, what happens when we ignore them? What happens when we are distracted with other things that we don’t notice the red light in front of us?

The answer is simple, we crash. If you are lucky, your crash is minor and no one gets hurt. But if not, maybe someone ends up in the hospital or worse, someone dies.

Traffic lights are there to prevent those crashes.

When you are driving, do you ignore the red light and move forward into the ongoing traffic? Most likely not, so why do we move forward into situations in our life when we see the red light telling us not to go that way.

Now it gets serious. I don’t know you and you don’t know me and maybe this doesn’t apply to your life right now but isn’t it true?

When we drive, we stop and slow down as we see a red or yellow light telling us it is unsafe to keep going, why do we persist to go in a direction in our lives that we know isn’t safe or the right choice.

Is it for a few minutes of pleasure? Is it to have fun, or at least what we believe to be fun? Is it for revenge? Is it to not feel lonely or sad? Is it because we are trying to convince ourselves that’s the way we should go?

Red lights mean it is our turn to stop and others turn to go. We cannot push ourselves to keep going in the same direction if there is a red light, or else we will crash. Red lights can help you realize that you need to make a turn or they simply make you stop and wait before you keep going. We need to listen to the red lights in our lives. Sometimes they make you stop and realize what is going on around you before you keep going. Ask yourself, is this still the path for me or do I need to turn.

Traffic lights are not placed randomly but in a system, they are all placed there on purpose. Every red light you come across in your life is there for a purpose. It gives you a way out or to turn from your situation before you go any further.

I ran a red light because I was too distracted putting my makeup on instead of paying attention to where I was going. Luckily, I made it through the light without getting hit or hitting anyone else. I should have been paying attention, something dangerous could have happened.

Distractions happen, but we cannot run through life blind to the red light in front of us. We have to stay focused and pay attention to where we are going before it is too late, leading to a crash.

What do you need to do? What is the red light in your life right now?

Do you need to leave your job because you are getting involved in things that you didn’t sign up for?

Do you need to stop cheating in school to get by?

Do you need to get out of a toxic relationship that is only bringing you down?

Do you need to surround yourself with different people because the ones you’re around now aren’t for you?

We become too distracted by the things that come out of our situations that we don’t look up to see the red light in front of us that tells us to change directions or take a second thought at where we are going.

Don’t become too distracted with the small things that you forget to look up and see the big picture.

#distraction #life #lifecheckpoint #checkpoint #distractions #lifedistractions #whereareyougoing #checkyourdirection