FEELING JAMMED FOR TIME? AND EVERYTHING ELSE

I’m feeling jammed for time when I hear this in my brain:

“I’m late, I’m late! For a very important date! No time to say ‘hello, goodbye,’ I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!”

“Be  On  Time,” is my mantra. I’m saying it right now.

(beontime beontime beontime)

Can’t hurt but,  ??????

As a worldly man of the world, and Oregon, every outing turns into a poll for me.

The current poll question is, “How many people stop at stop signs.”

As my careful readers know I got blasted by another driver at an intersection, totaled my car, and snapped us around.

At night. In Beaverton. Three ambulances, two paddy wagons, one fire truck. No one left for the emergency room.

You’ve driven by messes like this; so have I. Now I’ve seen both sides.

Now I’m looking at every intersection as a potential launch site for another missile from Honda, or Subaru, or Nissan.

But, if I’ve been on the road for fifty-three years and it’s never happened I’ve got another fifty-three before the next?

I’m not feeling jammed about that, but I’m still scanning that sharp angle of street drivers see before the stop sign at every upcoming intersection for warning signs like a cars not stopping.

‘Don’t stick your nose out that far.’

‘I’ve got tickets for doing just that.’

‘I’m driving here, you can’t see me?’

 

Toyota Hybrid Highlander To The Rescue

I was feeling jammed after the accident; during it I just held on tight.

Since I was in a five star safety rated vehicle, what did I have got worry about?

Except no airbags deployed and the first thing my wife saw on the dashboard screen was, “Airbag malfunction, see Toyota Dealer.”

I had the crashed car towed to the Toyota Dealership that night figuring they’d be feeling jammed for time the next day if I didn’t get it moved.

Which I did, so that part all worked out.

For the next month we were a one car couple because no car replacement was available, at least no Highlander Hybrid.

I did learn that the new Grand Highlander is coming on a replacement to the regular Highlander, but the hybrid variety is in big demand.

A month or so later I’ve parked the new rig in the driveway. Back to normal, but for the nagging aches and pains.

Everybody is feeling jammed while they wait for discomfort to leave sooner than later.

Luckily I have something for just such feelings: kids and grandkids.

 

All The Time In The World

Good parents, like you, know how to handle time with kids. Don’t hurry them unless you want an anxious kid sweating out every minute of the life.

Learn their pace and give them ideas on how to finish things.

Married adult kids have their partners to pressure them, or take the pressure off of them; grandkids are another matter.

Try and see the world through their eyes and find your place in it. By the way, your place isn’t hanging on the nag-line to hustle them along faster than they’re ready to go.

Use your time together to get to know them, how they play, and what they like doing.

If they like being read to, get a book.

If they like music, sing a song.

If they like running around, get ready to chase.

Small kids deserve their time unfettered. Mom and Dad help by giving them more freedom, but not too much.

Why not introduce calm kids to the busy world and show them how to keep up?

Call it a responsibility, a duty for all parents.

I had a big brother growing up. All I had to do was follow him around and do what he did.

Did I follow him up the steps of his first grade school where he fell off? No.

Did I follow him out to the sidewalk where an older kid from across the street named Alex swatted a ball down the gutter with his bat. Then my brother went in for a closer look and got hit in head by the bat on the backswing.

I didn’t follow that one either. If big brother was willing to take the hits, I’d take notes.

Writers do that all the time, take notes, since we’ll watch now and write later.

Let it sink in first, just not too far.