You know what they say: If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. So there I am, happily walking into the SIXT rental car station at Los Angeles Airport while Anke is already outside falling in love with all the big SUVs. Just before I reach the counter, I suddenly think, “Sh...”. Because what is sitting inside my wallet, which I very deliberately left behind in the safe on the ship? You get one guess... Exactly. My driver’s license. Anke’s driver’s license? In her wallet. And where is that? Safe. Ship. New York. Did I already mention the word beginning with “Sh...”? Well. No driver’s license. No car. Even a photo of my license wasn’t enough to convince the woman at the counter or her manager. “Who knows what this will be good for?” I think to myself. Luckily, I already had my blue glasses on.
So how are we going to get to the hotel? UBER. “Your driver Dallan will arrive in 3 minutes.” Perfect. We make our way over to the parking lot, looking for the license plate “KC I❤️U.” I smile. “Cool license plate, Dallan.” He smiles back and proudly says, “KC is my daughter.”
We start talking about coincidences, the universe, friends, and how our failed rental-car plan might eventually turn out to have happened for a reason. Well, sometimes you’re already right in the middle of the real story and you just don’t know it yet.
At a red light, Dallan says, “See that traffic light up ahead? I divide the people in my life into those three colors. Green. Yellow. Red. Green stands for people who are generous. Not necessarily with money, but with their time, their talents, their energy, and their resources. They’re happy when you’re happy. They celebrate your success. They give you their time when you need it, and they don’t disappear the moment things get uncomfortable.” Those are Dallan’s Green-Light People.
“Then there’s yellow. Those are people who are more frugal with their time, energy, or support. Maybe they’re there as long as it works for them. Maybe they’re happy for you and the path you’ve chosen, but they can’t really walk it with you. And then there’s red. People where, at some point, you might realize that spending time together takes more energy from you than it gives you. Interesting, isn’t it? Because with an actual traffic light, we know exactly what to do.
Green: go.
Yellow: pay attention.
Red: stop.
But when it comes to the people in our lives, sometimes we do the exact opposite. We invest an incredible amount of time trying to somehow turn a red light into a green one. We explain ourselves. We justify our decisions. We try to convince someone of our ideas who may not even want to understand them. And while we’re doing all of that, we may be overlooking all the people whose light has been green all along.”
We spend the rest of the drive to the hotel talking about all kinds of things, and at the end, we exchange numbers. Later, Dallan sends me something that really touches me: “Protect the green light people and cherish the quality time you share.” Protect those Green-Light People and treasure the quality time you have with them.
Because life is short. And maybe that’s my little invitation to you today. Take a look around. Who are your Green-Light People? Who are the people you don’t have to make yourself smaller around? Who allows you to simply be yourself—with your ideas, your dreams, and sometimes your worries? Who believes in you when your own belief in yourself gets a little shaky?
Maybe someone just came to mind. If so, don’t wait until Christmas, their birthday, or until you happen to run into each other again someday. Send that person a message today. A simple, “I just wanted to tell you that I’m grateful to have you in my life,” is more than enough.
But Dallan’s traffic light has another side to it for me. Because while we’re thinking about which people have a green light in our lives, we could also ask ourselves: What color am I in other people’s lives? How generous am I with my time? With my energy? And, perhaps most importantly, with my belief in that person?
Maybe we all wish we had more Green-Light People in our lives. So perhaps today we can start by being one ourselves. Because as Dallan so beautifully wrote at the end of his WhatsApp message: “Life is short.” Enjoy it with the people you love.
And the forgotten driver’s license? Who knows what it was good for. Maybe exactly this.
Thank you, Dallan, for your open heart.
