Friday traffic has its own personality and that is poignantly true especially on Friday mornings. Friday traffic is predictably filled with some of the same sorts of travelers. On Friday mornings there are lots of senior citizens out on the road, I assume headed to get their weekend groceries and attend doctor’s appointments. Not all of them drive 25 miles an hour below the speed limit or without turn signals; but enough do to cause others in traffic to need to exercise greater than normal caution. So, on Friday mornings I drive with what I think of as “Friday Awareness”, watching for but not being surprised by some of the maneuvers I see in traffic. And yet, even with my heightened Friday awareness, I got a shock in traffic this morning.
Stopped at the intersection of 84th and “O” streets (which for those of you that are not familiar with Lincoln is a major intersection supporting a total of 20 lanes of traffic) - there beside me on my left in the southbound left turn lane was a Seward Motor Freight Company Semi-truck. Now, I did make an assumption since he was in the left turn lane, that being in the left turn lane this semi would turn left when the turn signal turned green. Wrong. Oh my word, the semi pulled forward but did not turn left. Instead, he veered right and went through the red light heading straight south through the intersection. No one got hurt. No one got hit. But I did shake my head in amazement, even for a Friday morning that was a bit extreme. I pinched myself to make sure I was not dreaming!
When I had the green light, I headed south, too. The truck driver was driving significantly below the speed limit so within a couple of miles I found myself beside him at a red light. Unfortunately, the height of his truck and the angle of our windows did not allow me to see the driver’s gender or age; so I can’t set the record straight or correct any stereotypes; therefore, I am without evidence when calling the driver “him”. We shared this intersection without incident! Wheww!
I do enjoy watching and observing traffic; I guess I have a busy brain (my daughters graciously comment on my active awareness and tell me I am really observant but that is probably just their nice way of saying I have a busy brain). Sometimes at red lights I ponder where people are going, where they have been, what their life stories might be. Sometimes I see expressions of anxiety, exhaustion, or frustration. Sometimes I see expressions of great joy, energy, and other times faces are simply covered with boredom. Everyone is on their own journey, everyone has their own story. All of us moving individually, yet together in life’s symphony. At that given moment we are in the same place; but our lives may not bear much other similarity.
With Jen being across the great pond and not driving; my mind also wanders to paying even greater attention to the walkers; of which there are very few in our suburb. How they are dressed usually tells me a lot about their story, their journey and the nature of their destination. Most of them are walking dogs or walking for exercise. I rarely, if ever, have seen someone I think is walking with the same purpose as Jen is in Tetovo. I have not seen a young woman walking and carrying bags of yarn. I have not seen a young woman walking and carrying bags of groceries. I have not seem a young woman walking and carrying water bottles. Our lifestyles are different right now, my groceries are behind me in the van!
As I continued my drive to work this morning, within just a few blocks my Friday morning traffic became more predictable. Yes, there was a senior citizen driving about 25 in a 45 zone, he changed lanes to the right lane without looking or signaling, and he turned to the right on to Nebraska Highway 2 without stopping or signaling. Yes, I was able to verify his gender and yes, I was indeed back to experiencing my typical Friday morning traffic pattern.
Ahh, all is well; it is just another beautiful fall Friday in Lincoln, Nebraska. Some things are predictable. There is a definite routine to Friday morning driving and it reminds me of the security and stability in my life’s experiences.
Change is inevitable; growth is optional; and yet, some things are predictable. You can bet on it!
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