Ok, I needed Google to find out who Ricky Minor is (no reflection at all on him - I don't watch American Idol) but the title of his book, 'There's no Traffic on The Extra Mile' has captured me for a while now. I love the idea of Ricky's deserted extra mile but, to be honest, I was floored by the book's cover picture.

Maybe I'm just not attracted to images of what I take to be conspicuous consumption but it is more than that. A relaxed Ricky lounging against a vintage Jaguar?

There is a disconnect here...

For me the title evokes extraordinary effort, exhaustion, risk, fear, loneliness, self-development and awareness. The extra mile has no traffic because though it's inspirational, it's also a scary place. We might like it or we might hate it - this kind of intimidating road and the rewards we might discover are not for everyone.  And it looks more like this: