Why did the turtle cross the road?

Today during my 3 hour marathon of carpooling, I saw something unusual. Or rather, I dodged something unusual. A turtle was crossing the road in front of me. I braked and swerved around it when the coast was clear, but it got me to wondering.

Why DID the turtle cross the road?

What made him think that he could survive crossing 4 lanes of rush hour traffic? (ok, granted, I wasn't in a big city... but it's still 4 lanes of fairly steady traffic)

Don't turtles pull into their shell at loud noises and movement? Yet as I approached him, he continued to steadily walk toward the edge of the road. He had made it across 3 1/2 lanes of traffic by this point in time.

What was so important to this turtle that he risked his shell to cross a 4 lane road? Why did he not approach the edge of the road, come to the curb, look at the drop and the lanes of traffic and turn around?

I don't think I would have crossed the road. I'm not that brave. I hold in the frustrations. I just continue doing what I'm expected to do, resenting that once again I'm stifling what I want so I can meet everyone else's expectations.

I would have seen that curb and said, "Nope, I may not like where I'm at, but I'm sure not going to risk that cliff, and those huge machines, just for the possibility that the other side of the road might be better."

I would have made that stoic face, turned around, and gone back home, pretending that I didn't feel like I was drowning.

Just for once, I want to be a turtle.