On Wednesday this week the on-ramp I use to get home from work will close for almost three weeks. I will drive down Central Avenue for the three or four miles I usually drive the interstate. It'll probably cost me about five minutes tops in driving time. On some good days, it might not cost me anything.

Because of where I live and where I work, I am always on the lighter side of the interstate while commuting. In the mornings, westbound I-40 is packed, sometimes backed up for miles these days because of the ongoing construction. In the afternoons, eastbound I-40 is packed--gridlocked even--as cars wait for minutes to exit on a couple of the ramps. There isn't much construction going on the East bound lanes, but the gridlock happens anyway. I continually wonder why people feel the interstate is always faster, especially on the sides with tremendous amounts of delays.

While the closing of the on-ramp did cause me to curse when I saw the warning signs, I quickly found an alternate route. It still gets me home, and I don't lose much of my life doing it. I should point out there are many things that cause me curse when I'm driving to and from work, so cursing is more of a reflex rather than a sign something is really wrong.

With all the talk about Social Security these days, everyone seems to have the best ideas about how to invest for retirement. And everyone seems to think there is one road. Of course, they're all talking about different roads.

There are many roads you can take throughout your life. Most likely, you will not work for the same company for the majority of your working life. Most people will work three or four major jobs, if not more.

I've had about ten jobs since I graduated from college and only one has been full time with benefits. I won't be at this job for the rest of my life. There are many roads I can see out of this job, and I just have to choose and turn.

The notion of being boring and consistent about work comes from the same people who tell you insurance is a worthy way of spending your money. Y'know, betting something bad is going to happen to you--even though you're living a boring and consistent life that probably will keep you out of harm's way.

I'd hate to tell anyone what the meaning of life is, but I'm pretty sure it's not to be boring and consistent. Is there a point to being a nameless cog in the giant machine? If you enjoyed the Matrix movies, you might realize the answer is no.

Here's another radical thought: if we all think we're not going to stay with the same job for the rest of our lives, why do so many people get all up in arms about the definition of marriage--as if there is only one road to go. We spend more waking hours with the people we work with than we do with people outside of work. The friends and loved ones we cling to for support and inspiration are constantly shorted for our time at work. But we have no problem leaving those work people, even as we trumpet marriage as the pillar of our society. Stay with one person, leave hundreds throughout your life.

If you stay at a job for at least two years, you have a good work ethic. This is the amount of time most employers feel is the minimum you should stay at a given job. But, y'know, stay married or living with one person for the rest of your life. Two years of marriage is very short. If you left after two years, I think most would consider it a "failed" marriage. Leaving a job after two years shows you want to step up the job ladder.

When the eastbound on-ramp at Tramway and I-40 gets fixed, I'll use it again. But I'll stop using it so much when I'm done working at my current job. The amount of money I have when I retire will not have much to do with the job I have right now. I have to live more than my whole lifetime over again before I can "retire" according to current Social Security standards. I will meet, live with and leave hundreds of other people as I go from job to job to job. From road to road to road.

When I get to the end of my road, will I be looking back, wondering why I turned when I did? Is there a point in trying to map out my road now? Do I want to be predictable and boring? What do they say about the predictable and boring when they die? Not much.

Matt Worley likes driving metaphors.