Accident Up Ahead...Merge Right!

You’re driving down the freeway going about 80 miles an hour; a tad too fast, but hey, you’re going with the flow of traffic, right? You’re going to arrive at your destination with time to spare. Everything is working out great.

You’re in such a good mood, you load Pharrell Williams’ CD into your CD player, and select Happy. As soon as the song comes on, you start tapping the beat on the steering wheel. Halfway through the song, however, you hear sirens. In your rearview mirror you see several police cars speeding in your direction. Then you see the fire truck. In front of you now, all you see are red taillights. The traffic has come to a full stop. From 80 to 0 in 60 seconds. Immediately, you forget about Happy and Pharrell, and turn on the traffic station to see what the heck’s going on.

You are horrified to hear that an 18-Wheeler overturned, caught on fire, and caused a number of cars to crash.

No way are you going to make it now. You feel yourself getting angry. You’d been looking forward to this night for months. And now you’re stuck in a mess! You have to go to the bathroom; you’re hungry, and disappointed about missing the show, and time with your friends. You could be stuck here for hours. You become aware of your thoughts, and feel ashamed. You realize that several people in front of you are not just going to miss a show, but their lives.

Looking around, you notice some people have gotten out of their cars. Your anxiety mounts. Now you really have to pee.

After a long while, the traffic before you starts to move, and to merge right. Forty minutes later, it’s your turn. You slowly inch your way to freedom. Soon you’re on the off ramp, and out of the traffic mess. Phew!

And that’s basically what happens every day, isn’t it? You’re going along, everything running smoothly, then the unexpected happens, ruining whatever plans you may have had. You might feel stuck; your plans may have to be put on hold. Perhaps you feel there’s no way out of your dilemma; you don’t know which way to turn. All you see before you are blocks, with no way out.

The great thing is that there is! No matter how stuck and helpless you might feel in any given situation, or how long you might have to deal with it, eventually the solution will materialize, and the block will disappear. You may have to take a detour, merge left or right, but there is an “off ramp” that you can take that will get you back on track.

Next time a situation unfolds that causes you stress, be patient! Then turn on your signal and merge right. The exit to freedom is just a heartbeat away.