Just Another Car on the Road: Lost
I was deep in a comical back-and-forth with another driver buddy of mine about navigating metro-Atlanta traffic. We were trading shortcuts and secret backroads like seasoned pros — one-upping each other on timing lights, detour wizardry, and traffic dodges.
I let him talk his talk, but deep down, we both knew who wore the crown behind the wheel.
He was good — princely, even — but let’s be clear: I’m the one sitting on the throne.
And naturally, no royal conversation is complete without mentioning the peasants.
You know the ones:
– Slow in the fast lane
– Making lefts from the far-right lane
– Braking for no reason
– Indecisive at intersections
– Treating every merge like a boardroom negotiation
They don’t belong on the same road as us — the crowned and coronated.
So I leave that chest-thumping conversation, pick up my client, and off we go. I’m confident, feeling sharp — bee-bopping through familiar streets. I knew the area like the back of my hand… until I didn’t.
I got close to the destination, but suddenly, every turn looked the same. My internal compass spun out. I wasn’t lost in the traditional sense — I knew where I was — I just didn’t know how to get where I needed to go.
And now my client was on a tight schedule. I was blocking traffic. I was flustered.
I was… lost.
Isn’t that just like life?
Some days you’re on it — dialed in, confident, cruising. You’ve been through this before. You’ve handled worse. But then, out of nowhere, comes a sharp curve, a misread sign, or just plain uncertainty. You know the destination — you just can’t seem to get there.
And the pressure builds:
– People are depending on you
– Time is ticking
– You’re in the way
Lost.
So what do you do?
You can trust GPS.
You can ask for help.
You can wander and hope to stumble onto something that looks familiar.
But for me, in that moment, it was simple.
From the back seat — calm as ever — my client, who’d been there many times before, just said:
“Hey Ralph, take the next right.”
And I did.
“Funny how guidance can sound so simple when it’s spoken from someone who’s already arrived.”
This is Ralph,
and I’m just another car on the road.