When tokens become tolls...

He prepared himself, day after day, by awakening far earlier than necessary. But necessary to him it was, as he knew he was a slow riser and in need of his daily jog to make ready for the tasks at hand, not to mention, his commute was decent, but could possibly be delayed by others so frantically squeezing a 30 minute drive into 15. So as he polished himself in the mirror, he made sure the dimples in his tie were dapper and the creases in his shirt were sharp. He checked his stash of tokens in his pocket to make sure if traffic preceded its reputation of being a beast, he could hop in the toll lane and cruise his way ahead of the madness. He valued his stash, knowing it would save the day when the woman in the next lane prepares her make up in her visor mirror, not realizing the man ahead of her with fresh hot coffee had abruptly applied his brakes. For the last 4 months, he had never used his stash as his daily routine proved to be valuable and beneficial. He patted his pocket for a final confirmation that he was protected by his tokens, grabbed his briefcase, jacket and keys. He hopped into the driver’s seat and said a little prayer for travelling graces before pulling out of the garage. After 20 minutes of smooth sailing, a wave of brakes lights appeared before him, not even a mile before the next entrance to the toll lane. He thought about taking the shoulder lane down to the entrance, avoiding early morning misery but second-guessed that idea and stayed in traffic. "How much longer could I be here?" Estimating only 3 more exits with 25 minutes to spare at a 15-mile per hour crawl, he chose to save his tokens and endure the last stretch. Now 45 minutes later, after mentally crucifying rubber-neckers, he parked his car in his reserved spot, attempting to come up with a better excuse than "traffic" for his tardiness to the morning's board meeting. He thought to himself, "I should have paid the toll." Yet it was too late to look back. Now, wishing he had spent his tokens to pay his toll, he realized this... Tokens are of value in which only you can place a price on. At which point those tokens become a toll, paid in full, is of your own decision. No one can decide their fate but you.  Holding on to them, even when the time to pay your toll arises, makes them as valuable as a second guess.