By Rosie Preston
I often ask myself, ‘Why is it easier to break into a car than it is to open a bag of candy or chips?”
Was it always this way? I cannot remember when the answer became obvious. It may be that I am weaker than I was in the past, but I don’t think so. There used to be a time when every few months, some friends and I would have a get-together outside at night. We would start a fire, play music, talk and dance while cooking hotdogs or S’mores and discussing matters such as food bags that will not open. We were still young enough that the word “grandchildren” never touched our lips. Those days were not supposed to go away.
During one of those get-togethers, we started talking about the television show Golden Girls. We joked that was what would become of us when we grew old. We had no idea just how quickly the years would pass by and that most of us would lose touch with one another.
On another such evening, the subject came up about things we could and could not live without.
My thing is paper towels. I often find myself turning red in the face and see smoke coming out of my ears when we have none in the cabinet. Another irritant is when someone has failed to put a new roll of tissue on the holder but instead placed it close by. Then there is the situation of getting in my car and noticing that the gas gauge is on empty.
To some it may seem as if these situations are trivial, but they happen to be very important.
Another huge no-no to me is when certain drivers with whom I share the road do not obey traffic laws. Rather, they snub their noses at me while fly by in the emergency lane. Case in point: earlier this week, a young lady drove around me on the right side into the gravel, which scattered everywhere. A rock made quite a noise as it left a dent in my windshield. I had not even driven even a mile following that incident when a lady in a white car cut me off while pulling out in front of me, causing me to slam on my brakes. It was scary and dangerous, as another car was coming up in the opposite lane.
When the turbulence in my mind stopped, I decided that it would not be a good idea to chase that lady down. Far too many people are quick to the trigger in similar situations, and things can get ugly in a hurry.
Several years ago, my cousins drove from California to Alabama. It did not surprise me when they brought up the subject that we Alabamians are the worst drivers of any of the other states they had passed through. I’ve shouted it to the rooftops in trying to get people who are driving a vehicle to realize that it weighs thousands of pounds and is as dangerous as holding a gun.
When people race around you and you meet up at the next traffic light, I wish I had a sign that read, “Going a little fast to get ahead of me?”
A good friend who possesses an excellent sense of humor shared this little story with me the other day. I laugh out loud every time I think of it.
“A woman was sitting at a red traffic light when it turned green,” she said. “The lady behind her sat on her horn and would not stop. The woman said to herself, ‘We’ll sit here at this light until we are both dead.” Wouldn’t it be nice if we could communicate with other drivers?
Instead of trusting people to do the right thing now, the auto industry is currently manufacturing cars that have a “brain.” It used to be called “horse sense,” because a horse would never go where it was not safe.
We could all use a little more horse sense while driving a car with a brain!
Keep smiling, Rosie
Contact Rosie Preston at rosie.preston@yahoo.com.