Once on the other side, as I passed parked cars, I realized that the parking area ahead also served as the re-entry point for traffic going the opposite direction. If I parked in one of these spots, I'd be forced onto the road heading away from my destination.
Fortunately, I also saw that I could complete my circle around the restaurant if I took advantage of a small curving lane immediately in front of me. I found myself angled behind some one with the same idea, who was stuck waiting for another car angling towards us, going the wrong way. You know those situations where everyone is waiting and no one is acting? That was this. There we sat, all three of us.
Taking action
I patiently waited for the driver in front of me to pull forward, all the while blocking cars' progression behind me. After a minute of wondering what the problem was, and another minute bantering with my daughter about the situation, I decided to get out and talk to the driver, to ask where he ultimately wanted to end up. Then I thought I'd possibly talk to the third driver involved and we’d sort it out.
I approached the car in front of me and asked the driver whether I could help him get where he wanted to go. He replied, “I’d like to back out of my parking space.” Wow, this guy was just sitting in a parking spot! He was idling, with his foot on the brake! I hadn't noticed any of this when I was in the car because I was too busy trying to get the lay of the land.
I got back in my car and we proceeded to break the minor log jam.
I was the problem
In this story, the problem was me. From my perspective, I was only an observer. Literally, from my view out the car window, there was no evidence to conclude that I was blocking someone in. Then consider the pespective of the driver of the parked car. Perhaps he thought I was waiting for someone further down the line to pull out of their spot so that I could take it. He was prepared to wait. The driver of the third car may not have been aware that he was driving the wrong way. In total, there may have been three different views of the "truth."
I was the main problem. My misperceptions led me to both create a problem and then initially fail to resolve it.
Fill in the Gaps
Quite often a lack of information leads us to wrong conclusions. In a courtroom we hear the term "the whole truth" and it certainly applies here. When we leave details out, we don't get the whole truth. As much as possible, gathering information from multiple perspectives leads to better decisions. When a person operates from the comfort of their own perspective, they may miss an opportunity to learn more about their situation.
The next time you find yourself drawing a conclusion based on limited information, stop and question your assumptions. Consider the insights you might gain from further examination and the awkward moment you might save yourself!
