A few months ago, we played a game at work where you had to pick a song from the year you were born, another from the year you graduated high school and a third one that you would characterize as your “life theme” song. For my h.s. graduation year (’92), I chose Tom Cochrane’s hit, “Life is a Highway.” Well, I’ve had that song in my head all day and thought of a few analogies about it that seemed fitting to share.

Life is a highway, but that doesn’t mean you’ll always be going 70mph. Sometimes, you go through podunk speed-trap towns or encounter construction zones that force you to slow down, whether you want to or not.

If you take the wrong exit or turn the wrong way, you can’t always retrace your steps exactly, but if you patiently persist, you can eventually find your way back to the highway.

Periodically, you go through a “dead zone” where there isn’t a decent radio station to be found. Silence can be bliss.

On a nice day, you can set the cruise control and coast down the road. Other times, you have to grip the steering wheel with white knuckles to keep from hydroplaning on the wet asphalt.

At some point, you have to stop and refuel. Running on fumes is neither fun nor safe.

Sometimes you just have to crank up the tunes and drown out the road noise.

There are obstacles on the road, but if the alternative is to sit in the driveway and let your tires dry-rot, isn’t it worth the risk to get out there & drive?