Word of the Moment: Signal

Drivers education 101: check your mirrors, scan the road, and use your signal. I was driving home yesterday and realized that this lesson can be applied to life, not just driving. Mostly the last part of this lesson: USE YOUR SIGNAL!! Why? …because it’s kind to let the people around you know what you’re about to do. And, one should practice kindness as much as possible.

                When you’re driving, and you see a car in the lane to the right of you who has their left turn signal on, one can safely assume that the car with the signal on is about to come into your lane. Also, when one is “on the road” and in the right hand lane, if the car in front of you clicks on it’s right turn signal, and begins to tap on its breaks, one would be very safe in guessing that the car on front of you is about to make a right hand turn, and you’d best slow down! Are you following me here?

You SHOULD let people (whom you might affect) aware of your intentions. Weather direct or subtle, conscious or subconscious, letting it be known is the right thing to do. For example, if I see a hot guy in a bar and begin to make my way toward him,  I should be making eye contact with him while “en route” otherwise the troll sitting next to him may think I am about to ask him for his number. Eye contact: turning on the signal.  It seems to me also to be the reason why a man gives a woman an engagement ring. The ring, is a physical manifestation of his intention, I’m gonna marry you, and let everyone know it. The ring: turning on the signal. Even in nature, your body was created with “signals” (don’t worry I’m going to keep it G rated). If you see a woman with a huge rounded belly, swollen ankles, walking with a bit of a waddle, and wearing stretch-ey pants; guess what? That woman is going to have a baby! (but for God’s sake don’t ASK her!) The belly: turning on the signal. 

Should you fail to follow this one common sense rule, trouble will ensue… Just like on the road, all too often you’ll be the unwilling participant in an accident. Here’s the life application: if you’re dating someone and things are going great, you are under the impression that everyone involved is using their signals in the appropriate manner, and then your partner doesn’t call for a couple days, you’ve just been in a fender-bender. That person you WERE dating, just brake checked you and then sped off! Out of nowhere you’re on the side of the road, jacked up car, jacked up heart… its possible ive taken this one too far. My point is: no signal = trouble.

Here’s the part where I bring it all home… It’s real simple, the only surprise most adults like is a party, or a paycheck. You’ve got to let people know what’s about to happen, so they can prepare themselves to react in a way that isn’t going to cause a traffic jam.  Don’t be the person who was too busy mulling over a clever way word their Facebook “status update” to turn on your signal. Don’t cause an accident with your selfishness, or worse your oblivion.