Promise to keep, dreams to fulfill and miles to go.

This has been my tag line ever since I knew English as a language. It was more than an inspiration and my frequent quotes of those lines are more than just a coincidence. Lately, I started to think where am I with these lines? Funny or not, the first two parts of these lines have been in thin air, while the third one did became part of my life.

Ever since I have started working for FDA in College Park, surely than short, I have started putting miles on my beloved blue, scratched, 100k+ Civic. All these years I was under an illusion that ‘miles to go’ was something related to my journey of life, yada, yada, yada! But guess what? we Washingtonians, I am not sure if I qualify for that adjective but in reality I am Northern Virginian (how awkward!), forget it, I am a resident of Northern Virginia which is a Washington DC suburb (sounds better this time 🙂 seldom travel less. Most of us have found our second home on I-267 and I-495. For us circle of life is really I-495 belt-way and ‘going East’ really means traveling on I-267.

Every day I bump up my odometer by 100 miles, doing my part of polluting this ‘green’ planet and emit all types of gases from my exhaust. During the 55 to ~ minute ride from home and back, I see SUVs, convertibles, 10 wheelers, no wheelers and lots of morons (No! they are not from the LOR Trilogy). Some text (sorry twitter) on ramps while others bring their comb up and down their long hair in a rapid motion (don’t know what you call that). Animated heroes often hop on to HOV lanes to bypass all the backed-up brainless car-drivers (like me) while super heroes merge on to the ramp in the last minute. I learnt a new lesson here! An indicator for a motor vehicle is not to let others know that you are willing to change a lane, it is a warning sign that tell others that you are already there (in the other lane).

One thing that baffles me is that most of the vehicles, I take it back, none of the vehicles have blind spot and even if they have, they at least ignore them. The other important feature in my commute include the following (in order of their existence..)

a. There are infinite number of lanes in and out of the toll gates.
b. HOV also stands for Hopping Over-Zealous Vehicles.
c. Persons sitting in front of the steering wheel are not necessarily drivers.
d. Every lane belongs to everyone, you can decide yours in the last minute.

So next time when I quote ‘miles to go’ I am hope you will not be ‘mistaken’.