Wrong Way

What was I thinking when I decided to drive so soon after arriving? My head was still muddled from the trip and although I tried to remember to stay on the proper side of the road...I ended up turning into the wrong lane. It wasn't until I saw a car heading straight for me that I realized my horrible mistake.

In my attempt to put the car into reverse, my hand accidentally hit the horn. The fellow in front of me must have thought I was blowing the horn at him and it made him mad. As I reversed, he sped up and drove nose to nose with my car. Thankfully I've always done well at backing up, so I was able to swing into a side street. The man stopped his car and stared at me as if I purposely wanted to drive down the wrong side of the road. After what he must have thought was an appropriate amount of staring at me, he revved his engine and sped off.

The whole incident shook me up. How could I have turned into the wrong lane when I kept reminding myself to keep to the proper lane? My brain has gotten used to driving in the US and so although I told myself to switch sides, my brain automatically went to the side it was used to. 

As the day progressed and I drove hither and yon, I realized I no longer needed to think of which lane to be in. It became easier and easier to turn into the correct lane. How fast my brain adjusted to the new rules. 

I pondered on the need for adjustment to new rules. Often we are so programmed with a thought or idea, we simply just keep going down the same groove. Even when a new way or truth is shown to us we insist on going the old way. Often it takes a head on collision to wake us up and make us realize we are heading down the wrong path. When we do figure out the correct direction and continue in it- our thinking changes. 

We have to think about the changes but it is not enough to just think of them. We have to actually start doing things differently. The more we do the right thing our thinking solidifies with the new process.