I was recently riding on a train in Italy going from Saronno to Milano - about a 20 minute train ride between an outer suburb and the city of Milan. The train system in Italy is one of the few things that runs fairly smoothly, and for a country rife with bureaucratic red tape, that is saying a lot.  I always enjoy riding the train, mainly because it's a novelty for me; back in the US we don't usually travel from one place to another by train. I like to gaze out of the window and take in the scenery - the small villages with old buildings hundreds of years old, the rolling hills and foliage that change from one town to another, the graffiti along the way that is so different than than the graffiti I'm used to.  Noticing all these things helps relax me and keeps me in awe of the fact that I'm living in a different place, a foreign land, very far away from all that is familiar.

On this particular day, I was having a bad day - upset at some things and feeling really frustrated.  I was happy to be sitting on the train because I knew I could at least shut out all my problems for a brief moment.  Until suddenly we were stopped at a station, without any signs of movement, and clearly there wasn't anything anyone could do.  We just sat there, the doors open, without any reason or way out.  I thought about my options - I could patiently wait until the problem was solved, I could get upset and impatient like some other passengers who clearly had to be somewhere soon and were going to be late to their appointment, or I could get up, leave and walk to my destination or take a cab.  The last option wasn't really an option though, since I was very far from where I needed to be, and taking a cab seemed unreasonable.  I resigned myself to waiting patiently - observing how others were reacting to the situation.

And then it hit me - life is like being on a moving train.  The train moves quickly, and most of the time it runs smoothly.  But when a problem arises, you are at the mercy of the train operator.  And I realized that while on the train, you're actually not in control at all.  You're just a passenger.  On for the ride.   Sort of like life - you're on for the ride, but then life will throw a curve ball at you, and you realize that you're not in control after all.

What you ARE in control of, however - and this is the part that was the lesson for me - is that you are always at CHOICE on how to react to a certain situation.  Just like I was at choice to be patient or impatient at the sudden stopping of the train.  There is something really important about that for me - being at CHOICE.  It helps me feel in control when things around me are seemingly out of control.  It gives me something to focus and work on.  Most of all, it lets me know that I have a way out - no matter how stuck I feel at that moment, I can always choose to look at it from a different perspective, approaching it from a different angle.

As I realized this, I chose to look at my own problems from a different angle.  I began to laugh out loud - first at the fact that I was stuck on the train, and second, because my problems suddenly seemed ridiculous.  I took on the perspective of - "Life is life a moving train - you feel like you're in control, but you're really not! So empower yourself with choice!" - which automatically freed me up to think about how else I could approach my current dilemma.  By the time I had reached Milano, I had a fresh perspective on all of it and suddenly my problems didn't seem that bad. 

So the next time you feel out of control or stuck - remember that you are always at CHOICE - and most of all, remember to laugh!