I tell myself that I'm going to ignore the posted speed limit. Screw the law. I'm not slowing down for anybody. I start boasting to myself about having a 35 year clean driving record. I wonder why I think I shouldn't slow down and the first thing that pops into my head is because the rules don't apply to me. As I think this the first decreased speed ahead warning sign appears complete with a red and white sunburst of stripes around it. They're making sure I am without excuse I tell ya.
I shake my head at my ridiculous conclusion that the rules don't apply. Of course they do. But still, I want to fudge them.
So I make a compromise within myself. I will only slow down if everyone else who is driving that stretch of highway slows down, too. As I mull this over the second red and white striped warning sign appears. I envision getting stopped for speeding and pointing to the vehicles ahead of me and protesting that they, they were speeding first.
And then I ask myself if I'm willing to take the consequences of believing the rules don't apply to me. Turns out I'm not. So I slow down and set the cruise control to the posted speed limit. I shake my head at myself. How quickly my thoughts can be not only illogical and self righteous but also how ready I am to defend them before putting any of it into action.
As I crest the hill I meet oncoming vehicles who are also going the speed limit. In fact all the way through this stretch of highway I see not one speeding vehicle. No one passes me. No one passes anyone.
Which might be explained by the cop car sitting in a wide turn out on the highway less than ten minutes after I entered the construction zone.
3 comments:
so very good to hear your voice again!
Mich
I thought about you this weekend as I drove back roads to a state park and pondered whether or not the rules applied to me! Thanks to your influence (and perhaps the heavy fog!) I stayed mostly within the limits.
Thank you for writing this, Hope. I have lately been thinking of places in my life where I have an attitude of entitlement. Thinking the rules don't apply to me is a very close cousin of that attitude.
Several Lents ago, I decided to abstain from speeding. It took a lot of effort, but after Lent was over I didn't have the desire to go so fast anymore. I still may take it up to five over from time to time, but I'm generally a much safer driver now. Construction zones are still a challenge because they do go on forever for just a short stretch of actual construction. I use the cruise control, too. It's the only way I can do it.
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