published October 20, 2011
in the Stockton Sentinel
Stockton, Kansas
Generally
speaking, the only good thing about leaving town for a meeting is looking
forward to coming back home. Such was the case last week when I traveled to
Wichita for a Rural Rental Housing Association of Kansas (RRHAK) board meeting.
It’s nice to visit the city, but I sure wouldn’t want to live there. They can
have it, and all the traffic that goes with it. Call me a country bumpkin, a
farmer’s daughter, a small-town girl. I don’t apologize for it or make excuses
because of it. I prefer it this way; thank you very much.
It wouldn’t
be so bad if you didn’t have to drive to get there. Not that I don’t like
driving, because I do. I love to travel and enjoy the scenery that changes with
the seasons. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the scenery just between here
and Hays! Even as dry as it has been, the ever-changing colors – variegated
shades of yellow, gold and red in the trees, deep bronze in the ripened milo, brilliant
red in the sumac-lined ditches, and the fresh green sprouts of next summer’s
wheat crop – these are all my favorite colors.
No, the
real pain in the neck when traveling comes because of having to share the road
with jerks (pardon me if you don’t like that word!). I feel like I’m a safe
driver, but it’s “the other guy” on the road that worries me.
First of
all, there are those suggested speed limits. I say “suggested” because
apparently a lot of drivers think that’s all it is – a suggestion. I get the
feeling I’m in the way, impeding traffic, when I drive the speed limit. I
wonder how fast some folks are really driving when they pass me and leave me in
the dust, when my cruise control is pegged on 75. We hear all the time that the
State of Kansas is in dire financial stress, but on my trip to Wichita and
back, nowhere did I see a State Trooper, either ticketing or checking speeds
with radar. Every vehicle that zips past me is potentially a source of revenue!
Another
pain of traveling is encountering road construction. I know it’s a necessary
thing, and I’m thankful for those who work on the highways. But I do not feel
safe traveling through those three 10-mile construction zones between Hays and
Salina. Someone needs to explain to me why so many miles need to be zoned for
construction when only a small area is actually being worked on. Drivers are
crazy in those sections, and the miles seem to stretch endlessly. Obviously
it’s impossible to enjoy the scenery through those areas because you’re just hoping
to get through without either being a) hit head-on by errant oncoming traffic;
or b) smacked in the rear by a tailgater who doesn’t think the 60 mph applies
to him.
And then
sometimes, road construction requires a detour. I was thankful to make it to
Wichita unscathed, but as I was nearing the exit that would take me west on
Kellogg, towards the Conference Center at the airport, I saw a bright orange
sign covering the exit. “CLOSED,” I read, and I had not noticed any previous
warning or detour information. Since I had known exactly where I was going, I
had not noticed any previous signage warning me about a detour. Very quickly, I
realized I would need to exit onto Kellogg and head east instead of west. As
soon as I did this, I noticed the bright orange detour signs, directing me east
to the first exit, where I would make a U-turn to go west.
Happily, I
made it to my meeting and back home again, the same day, without incident. And,
other than a very strong wind to buck all the way home, it was a beautiful day.
I managed to enjoy the fall colors, in spite of the orange construction signs
and the inconsiderate jerks along the way.
And I got
to thinking... we encounter speed limits, construction zones, and detours in
life, just as we do on the highway. Sometimes when we think we are going along
just fine, something happens that causes us to slow down. We may find ourselves
in a personal construction zone, where something or someone can make such an
impact on us that we are altered and changed forever. And then there are the
detours, when we’re forced to go east even though we planned to go west. But
the main thing all along is the journey itself, for that’s where the joy lies.
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