Now that I drive to work every single day with the stress of a clockwatcher waiting for me at the other end , I realize that just like timing is key when you are on the road, it is even more important in life. In the last 2 years and 5 months of my career and dating, I realize that timing is ... well, everything!
I drive like a maniac to make the light, and when it turns yellow, I go straight instead of turning left. I do this so I can minimize the time I spend at lights, while maximizing my time driving - i.e. moving. In turn, I hit all greens and get on the interstate quicker. It is a chain reaction. I realize this over and over again. Even 2 seconds early at the light, and I realize I missed that extra slow driver, the construction truck, or the accident which happens right behind me. Time is important. Driving is "small stuff" though. It is an analogy for life - everything in life is a chain reaction - events set in motion all because of "timing".
In life, when you come to a fork in the road or a crossroad, the decision you make will affect the rest of your life - the people you meet, the people you don't meet, the boss who may not like you, the boss who may later become your partner in a law firm, the career you begin, or the career you end. In life, like driving on the road, like missing the earlier flight, the earlier train, timing is Everything.
This certainly rings true for me because in the Spring of 2002, I reached a crossroads and made a choice which I now feel was the worst decision I made, career-wise. When this happens to you, it helps you to take stock and ponder how one choice, one road taken, combined with the timing of such a decision, can take you on a spiral - a virtual cause and effect of timing. On this path you chose, you meet those you expect to never meet, you have a boss you never thought you or anyone else in this universe should have, and in the end, perhaps this path would mark the end of one career and the beginning of another. Life is about timing.
Relationships are the same. I have heard the saying, "men are like cabs" (Sex and The City).
If you are in the right place at the right "time", you may meet one with his "light on". What this means is that men generally know when they are ready to be married and commit, and when they reach this groundbreaking point, if you are lucky to be in their lives and the timing is right, they will make it work. However, if your timing is off, and his light is not on - i.e. emotionally unavailable, no matter how perfect you are and how well the stars are aligned, there will be no future with this man. In short, a relationship, like a career, is all about being in the right place at the right time.
In this exciting life of relationships, careers, family, and friends, timing is everything. So, drive safe, but move forward with conviction and motivation. If you don't get a green light at the next block and decide to turn right - who knows? You could get completely off course! But, I believe, in life, like in traffic, you can't second guess yourself and, you have to keep moving forward. Focus straight ahead on the future and keep going. It is okay to learn from what you left behind, but important to know that your best days are yet to come! After all, you should have the "time" of your life!
