Left, Right, Sideways

Let's see if I can make this make any sense.

I'm at a crossroads in my life and trying to anticipate what comes next. Like any stop at a crossroads, that means looking at where one has been and where one is going. While I generally dislike looking back, I can't deny I've learned some simple but important lessons over the years, and unfortunately I have learned them all the hard way. But they still all seem to apply.

1. Always go with your gut. Never over-think things. Generally your first reaction or decision is the right one.
2. Knowing stuff is important, but it is sometimes more important to know what you don't know. Knowing what you don't know means having the wisdom of caution and to ask questions. Both can keep you out of serious trouble.
3. People are not interchangeable. They are not commodities. They are not hammers. Understanding each person as an individual and as being unique means seeing the big picture. It takes longer to do and takes an enormous amount of patience at the start. But as time goes on, like any good investment, the dividends will prove the time and energy investment worthy.
4. The worst decision is no decision.
5. Be bold enough to risk making mistakes and be brave enough to admit it when you do. Mistakes come with bold risks and bold moves. If you've never made a mistake, then you've never aspired to much of anything at all.

They're fairly simple principles, and yet I am amazed at how radical they seem to some people. They often get me in trouble, especially with authority figures.

So now, as I said, I'm right at that junction where the Turnpike meets the Parkway. One wrong move and you get slammed by a commuter bus doing 70.

I'd give anything for an E-Z Pass.