Get Out of Your Own Way: Avoiding Turnpikes and Following Your Gut

I avoid turnpikes, toll roads, or whatever else you want to call them, as much as possible. Could it be the arbitrary stops clashing against my primal freewill? Could it be my subconscious prudence raising eyebrows at paying tolls? I do not know why taking these thoroughfares bother me as much as they do, but they certainly do. Regardless of the reasons, recently, I think I went a tad far with my aversion to turnpikes, and it revealed a lesson in getting out of our own way.

On the Eve of the Eve of New Years Eve

It all began on the eve of the eve of New Years Eve. I was preparing to make my return drive to Cincinnati from Maryland on the next morning, determined to spend New Year’s eve back home. Given the wintry system that I would be driving through, a local friend inquired about my return route. We recounted driving stories, noting how horrible the roads can get in certain parts. Because I would be going through mountainous areas, we agreed that the safest route  would be to take the turnpike because the roads would be in better condition.

I knew I had a safer plan. I had even taken this safer route before as a backup.

But, I got to thinking.

And in this case, thinking needed to take a hike, a back seat, or any similar transportation pun that comes to mind.

I thought, “Let me see what I am workin’ with.” I figured, “Hey, I have driven through some severe storms in the past, and if the weather is not that bad, then…”

After searching online to assess the severity of the weather system, I concluded that it was bad, but not bad enough for me to take the turnpike. On the next day, I waited a few extra hours before departing to give more time for the salt and plows.

The plan I had put together fell apart.

Needless to say, it took longer than expected to reach home. All of the car accidents along the way did not prompt me to have the need for speed, as I took my ever-loving sweet time whenever I discovered stretches of snowy roads. You have no idea how much I thanked God for making it home safely, in spite of my plan. Sure, I had driven through worse, but I did not think it was worth it. I encountered so much action and adventure from my drive that I joined Team Stay Home for New Year’s Eve.

Get Out of Your Own Way

Now, as I revisit my aversion to turnpikes, I understand a seemingly no-brainer lesson:

It is not that serious, Honey. Get out of your own way. Take the turnpike.

The minor inconvenience of tollbooth stops pales in comparison to (hello!) staying alive like the Bee Gees. The more I thought about it, the more I recognized that I have experienced more than a few metaphoric turnpike instances.

The turnpike symbolizes a resource in our live that, when utilized, can make it much more pleasant. However, we get in our own way and avoid using it. Most, if not all, of us have turnpikes in your lives. Let me share a couple of turnpikes you can take.

1) Turnpikes of Intuition

Have you ever had a feeling to do something or not to do something and you were right? You did not have any information other than a knowing. I am not pointing out an emotional feeling, but rather an inner knowing that transcends our mental and physical world. Whether or not you refer to it as your gut, the guidance of the Divine, the Holy Spirit-it is the turnpike of your intuition. Because you are a spiritual being, intuition can help you in ways that your natural processes cannot. There are unforeseen events beyond the reach of your natural senses, but God knows. This supernatural knowing can help you, even if you think you have all of the necessary data informing your decision.

2) Turnpikes of Knowledge

Turnpikes are the things we know to do, but choose otherwise. For example, you might know that eating a pint of ice cream in the middle of the night is not beneficial for your fitness goals, yet you choose to do it anyway. You might know a woman or man spells trouble from a mile away, and yet you still allow yourself to get entangled in a romantic web to your own detriment. Sometimes, you do not need new routes in the form of additional knowledge, goods, or services. You need to take the turnpike and use what you already know from your wealth of judgment. Your avoidance of a turnpike can simply be a distraction from the real work you know to do. You do not need a new diet plan. You do not need a love guru. You already have the key, grasshopper. Just put it in the door, and unlock your destiny (How motivational of me- you’re welcome).

My avoidance of the turnpike worked out rather nicely for me this time. Other times it has not worked out as beautifully for yours truly. I can look back at a number of situations when I ignored my gut or my knowledge, and I felt the consequences of my choices. Like me, you feel the pain when you know you could have avoided misery had you simply followed your intuition or what you knew to do. The fastest way I deal with theses issues is to look for the lessons. As a result, you can transform it into a win by making the overall experience work for you. No matter how things work out, if you mine for lessons, you find golden wisdom each time.

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