I got stuck in a major traffic jam on my way home from the airport last week. My trip home, which normally takes me about two hours, ended up turning into a five hour endurance test. I say it was an endurance test, because it came at the end of my 16 hour flight home from Buenos Aires.
The freeway was closed due to an accident that occurred early in the morning. I came upon the closure at about 9:00 AM. There are at least four different freeways that I can use to get home. I was traveling on the quickest route home. I very rarely listen to the radio while I am driving so I did not hear the many traffic alerts that I am sure warned people to use an alternative route.
I Missed The Signs
I was lost in thought as I traveled. I noticed that the traffic was slowing, but I just thought I would face a short delay and that I would get through it and get home. Perhaps the fatigue of the long journey made me miss the signs on the side of the road that indicated that the road was closed ahead. The signs were definitely there, but I missed them and I continued on into the traffic snarl.
As I approached the interchange where the accident occurred, I was optimistic that it would not be affecting the eastbound lanes, which is the direction I was headed. Unfortunately, the direction that I wanted to go was ultimately blocked and I had to either head west or exit the freeway.
I was familiar with the area so I exited the freeway and headed for the surface streets. I was surprised to discover that the surface streets were also blocked because many others had the same idea. There was no quick way out. The surface streets were clogged with big rig trucks and impatient travelers like myself. We all wanted to go east, but there was no way to do it.
I ventured further away from the freeway with the hope of finding and uncrowded eastbound route. I could not find a one. Anything that was going east was jammed. My persistent and stubborn behavior to find a route only led me into deeper trouble. The thought, "I'll find a way", proved to be my downfall.
Finally, I decided it was time to turn around and head west. I made my way back to the westbound freeway and started back toward the airport. The westbound lanes were also slowed with heavy traffic and so after a few miles I exited the freeway and headed south with the hope that I would soon connect with one of the other routes that would take me home.
There Are Signs All Around Us
Eventually I made it home. My late arrival disrupted my entire day. I missed writing for my blog because I now had to get busy on other scheduled events. I was tired, and I missed the time for a rest and I just had to push through and finish my day.
I realized that if I had seen the signs indicating that the freeway was closed ahead and taken one of the alternative routes, I would have only been delayed by about five minutes. My failure to see the signs resulted in over three hours of lost time. If I would have headed west immediately, I would have probably only been delayed by an hour. This means that my stubbornness cost me two hours.
What Other Signs Am I Missing?
There are many signs along the road of life that can help us avoid trouble. Sometimes we can be too busy or tired to see them. Failure to pay attention can result in many unkind consequences. As I think about the traffic signs I missed, I am wondering about what personal signs I might be missing. I know that I am facing some delays in some situations right now that could have been avoided if I had seen the signs. I want to make sure I miss as few of them as possible. My freeway experience from last week is helping me look around a bit to see these personal signs.
How does this work for you? How do you makes sure you see the signs of life? I know we see most of them, but what about the ones we miss? How can we make sure that we see those too? Those are the ones I want to see and I am sure you want to see them too.
Another thought I am having is about knowing what to do when it becomes obvious that a sign was missed. Do you push on like me along a similar route complicating the situation? Remember, I could have turned west earlier and though I still would have been delayed it would have saved me a lot of time. How do you know when it is time to turn around?
I am looking forward to your thoughts. I hope you will give this some thought and leave a comment here at this post or email me or call me to discuss.
Be Excellent!
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