The Left Lane of Life

I am a very busy man. I teach English to 4th through 8th graders in a private elementary school in Queens, New York. When that part of my day is over at 4 PM, I hop into my car and head to Long Island in order to begin tutoring sessions at my second job by 4:30 PM. It is a very busy day for me.

I am not complaining here. I wish to get a nice rest where I can look down at the flowers and not end up pushing up daisies instead. When I am in my car trying to get to work on time, I am really pushing my car and my luck at the same time. Unfortunately, there is no possibility of getting to my second job any faster than I get to my first job. So, I accept it and do the best as I can, given the situation.

As I was driving to my second job one day, I thought about my journey not just on the road, but through life itself. Why can’t life be like a drive in a car? Why can’t I just drive in the fast lane all the time?

To me, I now see life as a daily highway. There are three lanes. You have the left lane where we all aspire to be. We have the middle lane where most of us are. Finally, we have the right lane for those who may need help or are quitters. They are usually looking for the quickest way to get out of the traffic. Where am I? I will be honest. I tend to ride in the middle lane, but stray into the other lanes depending on the situation I am in at the times.

Let's examine each lane and why I may have been in them at the time.

RIGHT LANE

In driving, the right lane is connected to the entrance and exit ramps. In this lane, you mostly see your novice and nervous drivers. You may also encounter those who are experienced drivers who are just getting in the lane only to quickly get into the middle lane and speed on. You may also meet the experienced driver who knows where he or she wants to get off. Neither of the last two drivers spends an inordinate amount of time in the right lane. They leave the right lane to the newbies, the nervous, and slowpokes.

For me, the right lane is the lane where I may have started a new leaf in my life. I may have been nervous at times and may be unsure of myself, but I knew I was in the right lane. Maybe it felt “right” for me to be there.

When my Mom, Dad, and baby sister passed away, I was certain that I was in the right lane because, at some point, I wanted to get out of this situation that life put me in. I just wanted an out. But like the slowpoke or the Nervous Nellie, I am here and I had to see this journey through no matter where this road took me. So, I was in this lane, but I knew that I would not be in it for long if I stuck to my guns.

Currently, I am getting awfully close to retiring. The only thing I am looking at is two choices. I could either continue on this highway until I can get a much better job that I enjoy and will pay me handsomely or I can retire and just get off this highway altogether. Although the choice is up to me, I can’t call it just yet.

CENTER LANE

Some of you who are reading this are probably wondering about the highway configuration. Sweat not. It really does not matter if it is a three-lane highway or a four-lane highway. I will explain.

The center lane is for those who do not quite have the confidence of a left lane driver, but they have more confidence in the right lane driver. The center lane driver is the one who is confident and aware of where they are. They are not intimidated by the right lane driver, but they do not want to tangle with those in the left lane. So they drive with their eyes on both lanes. They do not want any collisions. They know where they have to go and they are extremely cautious about getting there.

I spent a great deal of my life in the center lane. How? Well, I always wanted to be a teacher. Prior to high school, I did not know what subject I wanted to teach. After high school, I settled on English. I continued with college, graduating with my Associates, Bachelors, and Masters degrees. After a 14-year hiatus, I returned to the same university to secure a diploma in school administration. I spent most of my time in the classroom with three years sent performing the tasks of a school administrator. I was happy.

In one school, I was the “old man.” Everyone knew where to find me. Everyone came to me for advice. I was the senior person on the staff. I was cool and confident. Yes, I was in the center lane of life. I was certain that nothing could get me out of my lane. I knew where I wanted to be and what roads would take me there.

Let’s go back to the superhighway, the four-lane roadway. If you exclude the far left and the far right lanes, you still have the center lanes, one leaning to the left lane and the other leaning over to the right lane. These lanes depend on the confidence of the driver. Let’s call the left lane #1, the second lane #2, the third lane will be our #3 and the farthest lane—the right lane—will be our #4. On the superhighway of life, those who are on lane #2 want to slowly inch their way over to lane #1. They want to be #1, but they are not quite there yet. They need much more confidence in order to play with the big boys on the superhighway. By staying in that lane, they are “testing the waters” so to speak. They may get in that far left lane once in a while, but they need the experience to deal with those Porsches and Corvettes of the world. I never made it to the far left lane of life. Too many Porsches and Corvettes out there. Occasionally, a Lamborghini or a Ferrari would hop on and dominate the place.

LEFT LANE

For me, the left lane was always filled with people who managed to make it to the top of my profession and stay there. They also managed to keep me out of their lane by blocking me. Yes, I respected their place in that lane, but they made sure that I would never be there. I had to be content with staying in the center lanes(s). So I settled for the lanes I was confined to navigate.

As I close out my career in education very soon, I realized that I never made it into that mysterious and desired left lane. I always settled for the center lane. I had to. Nobody wanted me in their left lane. I settled for the center lane. People who drive in the left lane have a GPS in their head and heart. They know where they want to be and they put the pedal to the metal. Yes, they are intimidating folks, but they have the knowledge of how to get there and how long it would take them. They bring along their own passengers if they wish to do so. They are not afraid of anyone or anything. I am just not that person. I travel in the center lane and I know that I will get to my destination one day. I don’t really worry about it. It will take me some time, but I will get there. A snail may be one of the slowest creatures on the planet, but they know that they will soon reach their destination even if they need a year or so to get there at their pace. They will forge on. The slug and I have that in common.

CONCLUSION

Is what I am saying the scientific proof of how we live life? No. It is how I see it. It seems to make sense to me. Do you see where I am coming from? Probably not, but it speaks volumes to me about this extremely long journey with its twists and turns called life.

Happy motoring, my friends.