It seems that one lesson in life that I keep

It seems that one lesson in life that I keep learning time and again is that doing things the same way over and over is not always good. I have never thought of myself as close minded or stuck in a rut, but there are times when I have to be told more than once before I really listen to what someone is telling me. That is when I have a light bulb moment just like in the cartoons. After several conversations the wisdom of what the person is saying sinks in.

I had one of these light bulb moments when I was talking to a co-worker about my upcoming trip to Vegas. She asked me if I had ever used any of the discount car rentals when I was there. I said that we did not rent a car but used the cabs and the train. She said that they have found by using the discount car rentals they actual save money and it is a lot more convenient than using public transportation. While she was talking I was recalling what our travel agent had told us several years ago about how difficult it was to drive on the strip and that parking was impossible. I mentioned this to my co-worker. She said that there are many cross streets and parallel roads to take along the strip and that all the major hotels and casinos have valet parking. They just pull up to the front doors and hand the keys to the valet. The tips to the valet are the same you would give a cabbie.

I thought about this and then dismissed the idea in favor of how we have always done things. When we arrived in Vegas there was a problem with the baggage area so there was a slight delay. As we were waiting I saw the booth for discount car rentals. We could have a two door compact for the price of one cab trip. There were no limits on the miles. We decided spur of the moment to rent the cheapest car available. This way we could see more of the area. By the time our luggage arrived we had the forms filled out. The employees at the discount car rentals were polite and helpful and gave us great directions to the hotel we were staying at. The traffic on the strip was very heavy but there are many traffic lights that control the intersections. We found that we loved the freedom of having our own transportation. We saw parts of Vegas that we had never been to before. My co-worker was right about the valet parking available in all the major strip casinos. We never had to look for a parking place. I was glad that I let the advice of my co-worker seep through my mind set of taking cabs and the train.