Things to complain about ...

Marlene Terry

No doubt about it, our lives are full of signs. And I'm not talking about the change of season signs, but what it is that prompts you to know when to stop nagging your hubby, and/or to question a child further about their explanation for why they were absent from school the previous day. I'm talking about those signs we see every day in our travels ... especially those that protect us from danger.

... The big red stop sign located way out in the countryside that I used to see every day when I drove to work, comes to mind.

Why it's there is a complete mystery to me. It's at an intersection placed at the joining of three large fields.

The idea?

That a vehicle traveling east to west or the other way around has the right of way to go through that intersection before you do. That is if you're the one stopped dead still on the road coming from the north.

... But I promise, not once during the NUMEROUS times that I waited in anticipation there, did any form of vehicle, man made or otherwise ever cross my path.  ... That is, nothing ever did until, just to see if I could entice a visitor, of course, I tried the "rolling stop" technique.

I could see down the intersecting roads for several miles both ways. And up until that day nothing except for the occasional wild rabbit, coyote or stray dog had ever been an issue.

I should have known from previous experience however, that the very minute I slowed down to make a turn and didn't come to a COMPLETE stop, a local law enforcement officer would suddenly appear from nowhere to pull me over and issue a citation.

... Can't remember much of our conversation, except that despite my objections regarding the validity of placing a stop sign in a place like that, the officer politely told me all I needed to know that a stop sign WAS there and I needed to obey the law.

... Which is the very reason why I've also stopped complaining about those traffic lights that although we're told they're smart ... they're NOT!

You know. Those that recognize how dense the flow of oncoming traffic is and adjust the signal so the majority of drivers are let through the intersection first and on a timely basis.

...  Right.

The record for me sitting still at the smart traffic light located near where I live, while no one ... and I do mean NO ONE ... traveled through the other way?

Five minutes 37 seconds.

... Long. But probably not as long as that officer sat waiting for me to "roll through" that stop sign.

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