My mornings are usually pretty hectic, mainly because I have to rush to get ready in order to leave on time for work. On a good day, it only takes me about 45 minutes to get to work. But then there are the days where I hit traffic, and my ride takes up to two hours. Unfortunately for me, the latter is usually the case. I use this extra time to reflect on what has happened over the last couple of days, weeks, or even months.

Alternating between sipping coffee and trying to find something good to listen to on the radio, I’ve come to appreciate the silence of my own car. I've come to think of this space as my own. Usually the silence is deafening, which is eerie because we are taught from a young age that silence is never the answer. I however have come to find peace in listening to the sound of the road outside my car and the sounds of the surrounding people hurrying to work or school or wherever. Everyone is always rushing around.

Lucky me, here comes the much dreaded traffic. It’s usually at this time that I check my map app on my phone to see what’s up ahead and whether or not I'll be able to find a way around it. I start to let my mind wander about how lately, I'm barely home. Whether it be due to work, Zumba class or just because I'm with my boyfriend, lately I've rarely found myself to be home.

That being said... Mom, Dad, if you're reading this- I’m sorry for always being out of the house. I went from never having plans of any sort, to now rarely having any downtime. I promise you guys though – I always try my hardest to attend all shopping trips and adventures to ShopRite. Whoever said growing up was fun has clearly never tried it before.

Before long, I notice the traffic is finally moving again. Maybe I’ll be able to get into work early so in turn, I can leave earlier as well. Sometimes as I'm driving, I think about my brother. He's old enough to stay at home alone and go out with his friends. Now he’s talking to me about driving, too. Where has that time gone? He’s getting letters from colleges now – I guess I can still call him “little bro” though, he’s not out of high school yet so it doesn’t count, right?

Traffic hits again – there goes my chances of getting out early. "Ugh, now it’s raining," I think to myself. Good thing my hair is pin straight and is unaffected by the rain. I’m about 5 minutes away and stuck at a standstill so I figure it would be best to prepare my “I’m here” text for my mom and boyfriend. They always ask me to text them upon my arrivals.

Pulling into the parking lot, I can’t believe how lucky I am. I have everything anybody could ever ask for and then some. I don’t know what I did to get this lucky, but I’m grateful for it. Not everybody is fortunate enough to have what I do, even if at times it seems like I’m in over my head.

I shut off the car and walk into work. I’ve got 8 hours of fun ahead of me now.