How's Your Traffic...?

So often on my commute I have time to ponder long range thoughts. Before I started putting fingers to keyboard, it was easy to day dream an idea through traffic and then let it go upon another safe arrival at home. Now that I am finding an outlet by writing about these thoughts, it becomes a matter of effort and will to follow through with it.

How is your traffic? what is your daily commute like and have you ever slowed down enough to really look at the traffic in your life? Well here are some things to consider:

Let's take a look at my commute home, (each of us will, I believe, be able to insert your singular experience and perspective into this template, just fill in the blanks).

My typical commute is about 85-100 miles round trip. Depending on the time of day the one way commute time is approximately 60 minutes. One hour on average to spend on occasion in a carpool or most often alone.

As I left QWest Field tonight around 10:30pm the traffic had pretty much all cleared out. I wound my way out of the parking structure onto the new corkscrew on ramp from the garage ramp onto the freeway on ramps. Twists and turns, all to get me out and on my way on I5 southbound. The vise like narrowing of 3 on ramps that merge to make 2 lanes that then merge to the 3 southbound lanes, one of which is a carpool lane to make 5 lanes which then quickly squeeze down to 4 lanes and then open up to 5 choices to make at 70 miles an hour. Not too complicated to traverse, in the normal course of driving, but still rife with decisions.

The pack of cars staggered across 4 lanes jockeying for position provide a gap where I can slide in and join the flow. Dancing across 3 lanes I choose to set a pace that will get me to my destination in the most expeditious manner possible without speaking to anyone outside my car.

As in life there are all kinds of signs telling you where you are, how far to get there, offers to sell you something, how fast you should be going and on and on...at night it is interesting to see when you take the time to notice, the number of warning lights you see in a 45 mile commute. The flashing yellow of hazard lights on a car on the side of the road, hopefully they are ok and have a phone to call for help. These days it is just too unsafe to stop and offer assistance. The flowering of brake lights as cars bunch up around a driver who has no feel for the flow of cars around them, playing the part of a stone in a stream, making the water surge around it, pushing ripples out that effect each of the other lanes. The brilliant blue and white of the strobing lights of the police car pulled up behind a car on the side, are they providing assistance or enforcing the law? A situation to be resolved by them and not for me to speculate or judge upon, but a reason for many to hesitate and slow everyone down. Another reminder to stay within the law and get home safely. An ambulance flies by in the other direction, red and white lights flashing and I say a quick prayer for those inside, both victim and paramedics. Each and every color or flash, street sign or decision to change lanes has a parallel in life. It is amazing how much can be drawn to everyday life in a comparison to driving down the highway. Each decision and the impact that it has on your forward progress or lack there of. Do you approach your traffic with trepidation or anticipation? Is your mind made up before you even get into it what kind of traffic you are going to be dealing with? Ask yourself, "How is my traffic?"

This analogy is a book in and of itself. It has taken me two days to get bring this item to some semblance of order and consolidate an extremely long verbal assault into this moderately long attempt at getting to some kind of point. This will be a topic to come back to, so much more to investigate and work through. What kind of attitude do I bring to the table each day, how does that attitude effect those around me and maybe more importantly reflect upon how I want to be perceived. What are the influences that weigh on my decision making process and what are the motivations which drive me to settle on a course of action? Enough right now, but something to ponder for another day.

Thanking God for His graciousness, mercy and patience with me, today I will spend another day trying to get it a little better than yesterday. Thanks also to anyone who has taken their time to read what I have to say, hopefully something struck a chord with you and will make you look at your traffic a little differently. Be blessed as you go through your day!