The clanging of silence interrupted my sleep. Sliding back under the covers my thoughts drifted quickly to sleep. The safety of the blankets made me not want to think about the alarm clock that would most assuredly ring in a few hours. Looking at the ceiling I see the time projected in red letters. Noticing the time is 5:55 exactly I roll over and go to sleep.

The next morning I was tired. Nothing out of the ordinary. Today is the day that I change the rules. Not knowing the effect of my back sliding I move forward. With no sliding pants to protect me from the gravel near the bases I prepare for the worst. A life spent in the fast lane, changing lanes to make my beliefs stay in line, is coming to an end.

"What's the purpose of life?" a friend asked me. "Without changing lanes yet remaining on the highway?" "I'm excited about lunch I told him." All of this going through my head as I prepare for the alarm clock. The alarm rings, as expected, and the morning was just as dreadful as I imagined. How many days will the alarm ring?

As time has a habit of doing it heals things. The alarm still rings but less frequently. The freedom I experience from staying in one lane is emmense. Learning to enjoy my lane is a struggle at times, but every mile I stay in my lane is another mile that I am free.