The Lights In My Life

In musician David Gray’s platinum single Babylon, the first 2 lines are as follows;

Friday night I’m going nowhere

All the lights are changing green to red

In contrast the second verse is a bit brighter;

Saturday I’m running wild

And all the lights are changing red to green

I am currently listening to ‘Greenlights’ the audio version of Matthew McConaughey’s book. With McConaughey’s rich Texan drawl it is very entertaining and resonating with me well through the analogy he uses of ‘Greenlights’. Reflecting on his life to date he recognises there has been ‘Greenlight’ moments. A rite of passage, a sliding doors moment, an impulse…some momentum.

It is a great analogy to draw on and if we were to look back at our lives, I am sure we would discover many “Greenlights”. As McConaughey explains they can be small moments or opportunities but if taken can manifest into awesome achievements.

My favourite ‘Greenlight’ came at the age of 21 when I discovered my girlfriend at the time was pregnant. Although we had only known each other a few months we made a pact to bring that baby into the world. Some 22 years later we are happily married and have 4 wonderful kids. Greenlight.

Allow me to digress with two quick stories involving myself and traffic lights in a literal and perhaps spiritual sense also. Ironically, they occurred at the very same intersection.

Driving with my Nan when I was younger in her oversized Holden Statesman atop her 2 cushions allowing her to see over the dash, we approached the said intersection. Muddling through at a safe if not annoying pace the light suddenly changed form green to amber. With this Nan slammed on the breaks, reversed the car, and casually exited out of the intersection to the left. Not content to just follow through Nan took that caution of the amber and doubled down! I was shocked, embarrassed but safe! Was Nan’s interpretation of the late change of light the same she viewed life? Did the first sign of change or concern have her act dramatically? Perhaps.

Some 30 years later my wife was on a run, idling, jogging on the spot at the same intersection awaiting her ‘Greenlight’ to cross North across the three lanes of traffic. With earphones in and adrenalin abound she heard over the top of her playlist the intense clicking sound to alert a vision impaired person it was time to cross. My wife became blind in a mental way and took off not realising the sound indicated the ‘Greenlight’ to the west. Whilst she made it past 2 anxious and alarmed drivers, she was collected by the third at some speed.

Amazingly she came away with some deep bruising and a massive scare. Is she like that in real life? Anticipating the green so much she charges into whatever she does without double checking? Perhaps. And I love her for it.

Thanks to some personal coaching I have started a better relationship with my inner world and my mindset. I understand there will be rabbit holes I slip down. Moments I do not feel 100%. I have learnt to replace those thoughts with positive statements at the other end of the spectrum. McConaughey’s ‘Greenlights’ analogy is a somewhat simpler method in assessing your status quo.

Feel for where you are at in life and understand that there will be Green, Red & Amber lights on your drive they call ‘Life’. Some days you will catch all greens, you will as they say be running downhill. Other days you may get red after red, have no momentum and feel the world is against you. Other days you may have to decide quickly to go for it on the amber or slow to a halt. Whatever colour your ‘lights’ are today remember they will change and remember that’s ok. That’s life.