Gratitude for the lost bus

When you feel irritated that is a sure sign that you are not in the now, says Tolle. I so get that.
The other morning I waited for a bus, to my sisters house. But the bus didn't arrive. So I waited a 1/2 hour for the next bus. While I was waiting, I watched a very playful magpie pick at the branches of a tree and playfight upside-down with the seed-pods. I even stopped to take a photo, but it didn't focus. Once sitting on the bus, I thought about how much time had been wasted. I could have slept in another half hour if I had known the bus wouldn't turn up. I wanted somebody to pay for wasting my time, or at least acknowledge it. Then I caught myself. I was making my trip less enjoyable than it should be. The "wasted" time had passed, it no longer existed. I only had the now, and the now was fine, so I should be happy. It took a little time, but then I was ok. I was explaining to my sister, later, that there is no choice that is better or worse, only different. I didn't make the connection to my missing bus at the time. My trip was longer than anticipated, but not neccesarily worse than a shorter trip. I wouldn't have seen the magpie without the delay. Maybe slowing down was just what I needed? There are always as many positives as negatives in any situation, and if you can't see that, then you are being overly optimistic or pessimistic. These for me are universal laws. They always hold true. If I am trying to live a life that integrates both my ego, and my boundless soul, I need to recognise that there is no circumstance that is better or worse, but that my ego allows me to have a preference. As long as I recognise that these are preferences not needs, I can be happy no matter what the outcome. If I operate completely out of the ego, I convince myself that I am only happy when things go a certain way, which I cannot completely control, and so I become unhappy. If I operate without ego at all, I make no decisions, and fail to make use of this life as an experience. So when I feel frustration, I recognise that I am trying to control the circumstances, and living in the past or the future instead of the now. Now is wow, I love that blog name. That was my little mantra while sitting on the bus.