A symbolic turn

One of the negatives about going to the local Retro Fitness gym is the drive back to the office.  The exit out of the parking lot does not have a traffic light.  Instead you have to try to time a left turn crossing three lanes of oncoming traffic. This is further complicated by mostly clueless drivers on Davis Blvd turning left into the lot that are not familiar with right of way rules and/or are too old to have reaction times necessary to deal with the often small gaps in traffic where they could cross but chose not to.

Quite often there will be a half dozen cars waiting to turn left out of the lot combined with another three or four waiting to turn left INTO the lot from Davis.  Up until recently I felt I had no choice but to enter into that quagmire and get progressively more angry as bad drivers compound the delay.

I recently decided to make another decision when I see a rats nest of vehicles at the exit waiting to turn left.  I now head out a rear exit of the complex and head roughly a half mile east, the opposite direction I need to go, where there is a traffic light, allowing me to make a stress free left turn.  Even though the majority of the time by the time I pass back by the noted trouble spot the parking lot traffic has cleared, I feel better choosing the simpler, less stressful route.

I have realized this is a template I have been applying across other aspects of my day to day existence. I just don’t need the hassle.