Sunday, August 16, 2009

paying attention

Friday when I was in Warrensburg, I was driving up Broad Street to the place where I thought I would meet Jenny. I looked left, and saw her parked down the street in front of her dorm. I stopped in the middle of the street. No one was around, so I decided to back up and turn down the street to go to her.

I am not sure why or how, but after travelling just a few feet on the road in reverse, I hit the brakes. I thought I heard something shift in our load, but it may also have been the horn of the car that somehow was now right behind me.

When I looked again, that college boy had pulled that Mustang right up behind me, and I was backing up! I bet I missed hitting him by 6 inches. He peeled out and gave me a look, "stupid old man."

The accident was avoided, but my dangerous behavior, which seemed ok at the time, almost led to a very difficult day.

I have always tried to be a careful driver. I wasn't very careful on Friday.

The moral of the story is this. Think twice when you are considering dangerous behavior. Life has general rules. Follow them. Cars are supposed to go forward, not backward down the main streets. Carelessness in our decision making can result in difficulty.

If you see me in the parking lot at church, you may just want to give me a few extra feet.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

1 comment:

Sharon said...

I can't seem to refrain from making comments on your blog. But it's kind of your fault--you keep writing on subjects that trigger a response from me. I guess I could quit reading your blog, but I enjoy them. Working on self control might be another option. ; )

Anyway, I wanted to tell you about the backup sensors on my "new" car. It's really cool--I start getting too close to something, and I hear little beeps. As I get closer, there are quicker, louder little beeps that are hard to ignore, so I stop. Although it is a very useful feature, it has also been dangerous. Before I sold my husband's car, I was backing up in it and almost backed into another car because I didin't hear the little beeps. Obviously, I need to be more aware of my situation rather than just waiting for a warning/message from another source.

Be careful out there.