TGIF I THINK

I don’t know about you but for me, one little thing can go wrong in the morning and turn my entire day upside down. Today was one of those days.
I got up early this morning so I would have time to stop and gas up my car. I’m on the road at 6:30 and the traffic is light, which is a good thing because the developmentally delayed seem to populate the roads at that time in the morning. These people creep along 10 – 15 miles under the speed limit, and wait until they are actually making the turn to use their turn signals. My favorite are the ones that wait until you are almost at the intersection and then they pull out right in front of you and creep along. You check your rear view mirror thinking there must be a line of cars behind you and this is their only window of opportunity, but no, there are no cars behind you, so I figure they must be visually impaired. Tonya, you know what I'm talking about.

I’m following a school bus and I’m staying a safe distance behind. As we approach the intersection the bus enters and the light turns yellow so I stop. Before the bus is out of the intersection the light is red. Almost immediately the light is green again and I take off and while I’m still in the intersection the light turns yellow and then red. My first thought is okay Lord, is this a test? So on to the next intersection. This one is a photo enforced intersections where your picture is taken if you run the red light. Okay, so I’m behind the bus again, the light turns green, we go, and then the light turns yellow then red and I’m still in the dang intersection. This is at West Lane and Hammer, which is a huge intersection, like five or six lanes. I can’t punch it because the bus is in front of me and I don’t want a ticket. What’s up with this? Is this a scam the city has devised to increase revenue’s to balance their budget? The irony here is that I’m very aware of these intersection with the cameras and I always approach with caution. So, while I’m filling up my gas tank, I’m steaming, getting angry and upset trying to figure how I’m going to handle this, it just isn’t fair. As I’m driving to work I hit a couple of the numerous potholes in the road, not good for the car. Stockton has the worst roads. Maybe the city wants additional income from traffic fines to fix the roads.

By the time I get to work I’m really upset. I sit at my desk and in front of me is a tile with Psalm 18:2 on it. The Lord is my strength, in whom I will trust. So I ask him how I should handle this, I can’t just ignore it. I call Stockton’s traffic signal maintenance division and to my surprise a lady answers the phone. I thought I would get a recording because it’s not even 7:30. I explained my situation and she said she would transfer me to the electrical shop. Ed answered the phone and I told him my story. I’m not sure why but he was laughing. He explained that the lights are on timers which operate according to the traffic usage. I explained to him that that should not be the case on the intersections that are photo enforced and the time between yellow and red should be enough time for a car to get through the intersection. He is still chuckling and I asked him if these calls are recorded. He said no and asked if I was going to curse him out, then I started laughing. No, I explained, that wasn’t my style I just didn’t want to receive a ticket for something that was out of my control. He laughed again and said he would call the traffic engineers. So it’s a wait and see. Now I ask you, who should have to start their day like that?
The day continued with computer problems and more regulations from the state that make my work very unpleasant. So it’s Friday and tomorrow is Saturday I don’t have to drive in traffic. After church on Sunday I can work on my quilting project and play with my dogs. Thank God it’s Friday.
Have a blessed weekend.