Monday morning after staying up late watching the Super Bowl, I had to travel to downtown Orlando. I listened to the traffic report and the most direct route, Interstate 4, was its usual Monday morning parking lot. I chose the next best option. Nothing doing.
I knew the fastest route was the toll roads and normally that would be my first option but this morning it was my last. What was I thinking?! As I drove onto the long bridge over Lake Jessup, traffic was brought to a complete stop.
I grumbled about having just paid $2.00 toll for the privilege to sit on a bridge over an alligator infested lake. I couldn’t turn around on the bridge. I was stuck. I mean jammed in between all the other vehicles that had also come to an abrupt and unexpected halt.
Forty-two minutes and two podcasts later, I inched forward. Then stopped. Repeated. Definitely NOT the way I wanted 
start my week.
I could tell the driver in front of me was in a hurry. He weaved back and forth so he could see down the road. Oh yeah, I’m sure that is an effective way to get the traffic moving faster somewhere in the world.
We were in one doozy of a traffic jam. It dawned on me that from the central Florida town I live in to downtown Orlando, you can’t get there from here.
Suddenly, the impatient man in front of me saw an opening and took it. The emergency lane was wide open all the way to the first exit. He gunned his truck and sped past all us waiting motorists.
As soon as he passed an SUV with tented windows, that driver did the same thing. Only, that wasn’t just a driver. It was a Florida State Trooper in an unmarked vehicle with blue lights flashing.
Busted!
I passed the impatient driver and offered up a prayer of thanks that I’d had the patience to not get a ticket. It had been tempting. My stomach was growling and I was late for my appointment. But, when you can’t get there from here, you just have to make the best of it.
I listened to podcasts and took notes. I texted friends. I prayed. I planned the day I would eventually have once I was off the bridge. And, I lived to write this blog post. On balance, I’d say my morning was pretty darn good.
When you have goals and you feel, “I can’t get there from here”, relax and make the best of your situation. Be there, wherever there is. You’ll save yourself a LOT of grief.
Have you ever felt stuck like that? How did you deal with it? Share it here.
Once I would've been right behind that driver in front of you. But I've learned patience. Not perfected it, mind you. Now I just try to rest when I'm in a waiting pattern on the highway. Listen to music, talk on the phone--at least I'm not driving and talking. lol Great post, Reebs.
