Saturday, November 2, 2019

Interesting Intersection






It was a perfect description.  Anyone driving on that street near my house would know immediately what my friend was saying.  In touting a Saturday morning local event, she said "It's at the church near the 
interesting intersection."  

Got it.

I drive there almost every day.  It's one of those road places that have life lessons built in.  How many times have I sat at that place and thought "You could get killed here."  The object is not to get killed here.  Or even banged up.  So how do I avoid it?  I could never describe to you the layout of this particular intersection.  And yes, my friend, interesting intersection fits perfectly.  First  of all, on your approach, pick your lane depending on where you want to go.  The intersection is directly west of a fork in the road so the cars coming from the east might go behind you or in front of you.  You never know.   Proceed to the stop sign with caution.  Be ready to slam on the brakes at any moment lest a car coming from the east will suddenly be in your path.  And it will be moving fast. 

 At the same time, cars will be appearing from the west.  They might be going straight headed for any of three options on the main road.  They will also be moving fast, hoping to hit the traffic light to their advantage.  I'm telling you, it's a jungle out there.  And the jungle could hurt you bad.  As I said, pick your lane.  Look in all directions three times.  Look again.  When you think you're safe, proceed into the intersection with caution, fear and trembling, ready to stomp on the brakes at any moment.  
And stay in your lane!

In case you haven't noticed, life is full of interesting intersections.   We come to them every day in one way or the other.  How we proceed in the moment could have far-reaching consequences or simply a momentary inconvenience.  Just yesterday, as I exited the local mall I came to an intersection choice that was compounded by Friday afternoon traffic.  Being a person of a certain age, I've seen this choice before.  "Not dealing with this..." said my brain.  And I made the choice to abandon the direct route to my destination through the heart of the busy intersection.  I turned the other way, drove all the way around the mall to a less hazardous option.  And breathed easier.

What about those other life choices.  The ones that aren't based on physical circumstances involving cars and traffic.  The picture shows the intersection of a mountain road and a river.  The road is steep, rocky, and narrow.  But if I don't stay on the road, I'm crashed into the river...the wet, rocky river that doesn't go at all where I need to go.  The choice: keep it on the narrow road or 
I'm buried in water and rocks and mud.  

Robert Frost said it with his memorable line:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...

Have you encountered an interesting intersection lately?
Look in all directions.  Proceed with caution.