Clouds with silver lining

This week we had some wintry weather, with heavy rain and a lot of clouds.  However the clouds I'm speaking of in the title of this post, aren't physical ones, but life experiences, such as the one I had this Tuesday.  

I had planned to go to the Istituto Italiano di Cultura to watch a film.  I left my house at around half five, but it took the train about quarter of an hour to arrive.  This should have already made me suspicious, but when it arrived I boarded.  The train was really slow, and kept stopping.  Then the driver started announcing something about emergency and Belmont.  At first I didn’t understand what was happening but when he repeated the message a couple more times, I understood that there was a fire somewhere next to the red line, and thus the red line was stopping at Belmont and resuming at North & Clyborn. 

The film was starting at 6pm.  I was already late, and far from my final red line destination – Grand.  So when I arrived at Belmont at around 6.15pm, I had two options either to turn back or to continue my journey.  I opted for the latter.  I know it doesn’t make sense, but going back home seemed so dull.  At Belmont I tried to fit in a shuttle bus but it was full up, so I had to wait for the next.  The next bus arrived after a few more minutes and departed immediately.  Still the traffic was jammed.  A mile away from the station, I decided to ask the driver to open the door for me, which he did reluctantly (as it is against the rules) and decided to walk towards the station.  When I arrived, I realised that getting into the station here was close to impossible, with all the people trying to go in.  Besides those who were coming up from the underground looked as if they had been to hell, and looked exasperated.  By now it was almost 7pm.

A visit to the apple store just outside the station gave me the possibility to check my position on google maps, and plan an alternative way of arriving to my final destination.  The option which seemed to make the most sense was to walk to the next station at Clarke and Division.  It was a nice walk, and I got to see some more of Chicago.  The area looks quite nice, and I might consider looking for a place here.  So finally boarded the red line, arriving at Grand in a few minutes. 

I arrived at 7.50pm.  Almost two hours late.  Needles to say I didn’t go in, but walked on towards the river for a nice evening stroll.  Here I walked along Michigan Avenue, enjoying the nice summer atmosphere.

Despite the misadventure, I must admit that I enjoyed most of it, especially the long walks.  (Probably because I’m on holiday at the moment, so I afford wasting time)  Still, sometimes just wondering around can be really very relaxing.  This made me think a lot on the way we react to unexpected things that happen to us.  We can either become angry at the world for all the negative consequences such an event brings, or we can accept the situation and enjoy the positive outcomes that such an event brings with it.  Leading a slower life definitely helps in selecting the second option.  I want to make sure to take life with a positive attitude, because this experience taught me that it is my attitude which makes the difference!!  I suggest you do the same.