Walk This Way

Many of our decisions about where to work, shop or attend school depend on how far from home we’re willing to travel. It boils down to choosing between adventure and inconvenience. Some people don’t mind traveling long distances while others prefer quick trips. Regardless of how far you’re willing to travel, would you do this if you couldn’t go by car?

                                         https://youtu.be/5F6VGlLuzKM

The title “America Strong” underscores the student’s determination. Who else would do what he did? Think about the number of times you’ve texted from your bedroom to someone in your kitchen or ignored a ringing phone because you had to walk across the room to answer it. Rather than walking through the mall, I’ve considered leaving the building and driving to a store at the opposite end. Okay, I actually did that. We find the wildest reasons to avoid moving on. When you don’t feel like taking the next step, who or what motivates you to push forward?      

Proceed with Caution

Everyone knows what to do at a traffic light: if it’s green you go, if it’s red you stop. This week, I ran into a major traffic light malfunction that caused people to do a double-take. The traffic light was red and green, and you know it didn’t take drivers long to decide what to do. After looking both ways, people drove through, which probably seemed like a nightmare for driver at the cross-street trying to make left turns. Mixed signals can easily cause confusion, and so could this:

                                     https://youtu.be/RG-OlGA_DbQ

A driver who mistakes the flick of the wrist or the twist of the hip for a “go” could end up with traffic troubles. If we fail to analyze the various sides of an issue, we’re susceptible to making snap judgements and causing huge problems. What issue do you need more time to investigate before coming to a sensible decision?      

Stressed Out?

Since experts recommend we minimize our stress levels and treat ourselves to something special once in a while, I obeyed their advice and ordered a piece of jewelry through an Avon-like home-based business. When I held up my arm to display the bracelet, one of the kids asked if I burned myself again. Well, that spoke volumes. First of all, that only happened once. Okay, maybe twice as I rushed to slide food into the oven. Take my advice, that’s not the time to rush. Mistakes happen when we rush. Sometimes they’re painful results that last a brief time, and other times the consequences stick with us like a scar. In either situation, we experience this: 

                                     https://youtu.be/bdAsm2QCvdo

He said a mouthful. Have you ever been on the road and spotted the driver who tailgates and weaves through traffic like a bully? Invariably, that car ends up at the light alongside everyone else. There’s a lesson there. Most of our rushing causes unnecessary stress, making an awful impact on our mental and physical health. If you’re tired of rushing from point A to point B, what will you do to live stress-free?     

No Damages?

There’s something wrong with the birds. In the last year, I’ve witnessed more bird collisions and casualties than ever. This week a robin swooped in front of a car and clipped the fender. A mass of white feathers flew into the air as the little bird rolled to the edge of the road. I hope it survived.

Is it poor timing, poor training, recklessness, or fearlessness that’s causing birds to engage in risky behavior? You may develop a whole new appreciation for risk after watching this scene:

                                     https://youtu.be/3z2QpfGxXaw

It’s amazing how everybody kept moving. If we tossed in a few more tourists, the entire “system” would crumble because we’re used to lights and lanes—and much less road risk. Can you imagine living with that kind of free-for-all? We all have different risk comfort levels. What was the eventual outcome of your riskiest decision?    

A Public Wow!

A couple of months ago, I spotted a terrible sight on a busy expressway nicknamed “The Surekill.” A car, traveling about four vehicles ahead of me, crashed into the concrete median and popped up into the air. Within seconds, the driver regained control of the car, and stopped in the left hand lane, with significant front-end damage. As several other drivers negotiated around the wreckage, I got stuck behind it and watched the elderly driver emerge from the  accident uninjured. He indicated that another car had switched lanes and cut him off.

How unfortunate. While the aggressive driver zoomed away scot-free, this elderly man faced a huge repair bill. We never can tell what the day will bring. The best we can do is to expect the unexpected. Watch the major surprise one young lady received:

                                         https://youtu.be/YH4a-XBFUmw

What a perfect finish to a great day! It’s hard to tire of those videos, especially when we consider the sacrifices made. With May less than a month away, expect to see more surprises like that one. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be part of the fun. What’s the best surprise you’ve ever received?     

 

     

What's the App for That?

We’re at that time of the year. The countdown has begun. Tick tock, tick tock! That’s the sound of time ticking away as you sit helplessly in holiday traffic. If you want to use the time wisely, you could make out Christmas lists in your head, listen to music and books on tape, or watch how other drivers entertain themselves. One day you might look over and see this:

                                         http://youtu.be/CqSDWoAhvLU  

How safe is it to ride in a vehicle that lacks a steering wheel and partly operates by GPS? Think back to the weird places GPS has led you. This car might take you to the river and refuse to budge. Or worse yet, imagine that it’s several days before Christmas, you’ve finished your shopping and want to go home, but the car keeps circling the mall, pausing at random entrances. Feels like a  nightmare, doesn't it?  

The car’s designers did say that the guidance system uses GPS, along with other factors to locate correct destinations. For now, they say the project is a work-in-progress. Still, I’m going to need a lot more confidence in the technology before I hand over control of the steering wheel.

If you had to give up the steering wheel of your life, to whom would you give it?   

     

The Christmas List

Trapped! We’re caught between wanting to hear Christmas carols and not wanting to dive into the shopping season this early. It may be too late. Decorations grace the mall’s halls and traffic’s already building. On Thanksgiving Day some of us will have one eye on the pumpkin pie and the other eye on the clock, counting down the hours to the first pre-Black Friday purchase. Let’s pace ourselves. Celebrate Thanksgiving and savor the turkey without peeking at your Christmas shopping list. We’ll be inside the stores soon enough. Will your Christmas shopping experience resemble this one?

                                          http://youtu.be/kXh8-aiPjxA

You don’t shop like the first guy, do you? He shopped for a charity, which explains the haphazard gift decisions, huge quantities, and lo-o-o-n-n-g-g receipt. Hopefully, your Christmas shopping list is much shorter. Before the shopping frenzy goes full tilt, what suggestions would you offer for creating a meaningful holiday? 

      

Follow Your Black-Topped Road

We have a major intersection that connects five major roadways in our area. You probably have one in your town, too. If you drive through it on a regular basis, then you know the stop-and-go light timings, which lanes move fastest, and at what point you should switch lanes to get where you want to go in record time. Traffic often flows smoothly through those major intersections, except when there’s a driver who’s impatient or ignorant of the rules.

Once in a while I’ll see the first driver in line try to switch lanes during the red light. They wind up delaying everyone behind them when they can’t make a smooth transition. Sometimes a driver will inch so far into the left turning lane that they get stuck and block traffic when the light turns red. That’s when we get live action—honking, swerving and sympathetic head-shaking. Your road trip can turn from a pleasant outing to a chaotic nightmare if drivers fail to follow the rules. When people want to experience rule-free driving, here’s where they go:

                                   

                                          http://youtu.be/P8PQUTiBNyw

 How about that? Even the German autobahn, which has no speed limits, has safety rules. We can’t avoid them.  What rule(s) do you make a special effort to follow?

    

The Real Formula for Going, Doing and Being

Short-cuts are over-rated, especially in this area. What’s the point of taking one or two quick back roads if I’m still late?  Last week, I stopped at the grocery store, headed across town, then traveled forty minutes south—not an easy feat in eight a.m. rush hour traffic. I ran into road construction and delays at every turn. Okay, I confess. The real problem started when I left the house late and tried to make up the time by dodging streets with stop lights and traffic.  The rushing and the stress taught me a lesson. The moral of the story is: When you promise to bring snacks and beverages to an event, buy them the night before. Despite the hard lessons learned, why do we insist on taking the short-cut? This guy has a point:

                                       http://youtu.be/kFq1WOhTodI

Something in us strives to beat the system, to do things faster, better, sooner than ordinarily possible. We want the easy, trouble-free route without all of the twists and turns associated with growth and learning.  Instinctively, we want to skip the hassles and the hard work. Deep down, we know the real formula for going where we need to go, doing what we need to do and being who we need to be. Everybody has a formula or motto for life, what’s yours?