Shining Moments February 2 – 8, 2020

Happy February! January is come and gone (good riddance) and a brand new month is here. February sure has had an interesting start to the month, so without further ado (and as always, in no particular order), here’s this week’s Shining Moments…

Shining Moments

– Working the new job and everyone has been so kind. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind and they have been so understanding and accommodating

– I still can’t believe that I’ve officially become a Sales Coordinator – I’ve unlocked a new achievement on my life goals that I’ve been striving towards for quite some time now

– On the way to work Friday, I saw a rainbow while I was stressing out trying to get to work. It made me feel better and I was actually early – stressing for nothing!

– During one of the video trainings, there’s this guy… with a sword… slicing open a champagne bottle… Yup… It happened so quickly, I just HAD to go back and make sure I didn’t need to walk away from the computer for a little bit haha. Took me a few tries to get it because the scene was so quick:

– We had very bad weather Thursday night (they even shut down schools early because it was expected to be so bad and Upstate had tornadoes), but luckily we made out well. Other places in SC and surrounding states were not so fortunate. Crazy thing is that some of them even got snow the next day! One day we’re almost 80 in February, some possible tornadoes and some confirmed ones and the next day it’s snowing. Talk about crazy right? I’m kinda curious to see how else February is gonna be (Alright Phil the Groundhog, you’re fired…)

– One of my new GMs and I were talking about the EXTREMELY large halo around the moon the past 2 nights before the storm. She got very excited and told me about Sun Dogs / Moon Dogs (check out the Google search here, its really cool!) I’ve heard superstitions about the larger the halo, the more bad luck coming, but it’s actually a weather phenomenon (ice crystals, reflecting/refracting, etc). See, learn something new every day!

– Saw some really different tag decor haha

– Found some cute Valentine’s Day cards and got them ready to send out to family and friends

– Chad found Murder, She Wrote on Amazon Video (seasons 1-5 free with Prime) and surprised me with it (fun fact: did you know that there are 12 seasons and 264 episodes + 4 movies?!?!). We’ve been binge-watching it every night and we’ve been reminiscing that they just don’t make good television like they used to and Angela Lansbury is just simply amazing.  She is now 94 years old!

 

Reflection

This week I saw a billboard on the interstate that had basically said “Traffic sucks for everyone — just let them merge over.”  My first thought was, “Really? We need a billboard to tell us to be nice?” then went to “Someone actually paid for that message to be on the LED/multi-ad rotation billboard” and then went to “They have a point and also no they don’t.” Traffic sucks. We all know this – whether we’re behind the wheel, a passenger or a kid in the back seat. Especially here in Charleston, the traffic is only getting worse – there’s been too much expansion/growth (estimated 28 people move here a day now) and not enough roads to accommodate all the traffic from all these new neighborhoods and excess flow of people getting to work, errands, school, etc. So of course, the accidents start increasing and the frustration and tempers start flaring more too. I used to enjoy driving more and unless it’s in the night hours when I do UberEats, I really don’t anymore. People will do the damnest things and be the craziest assholes.

However, I believe in kindness and showing as much love as possible (and not just because it’s February – the month of love). I will try to curb my own frustrations/temper (again, keyword try haha), but I almost always still allow someone (or even a few cars) to pull out into the traffic and try to give them their safety. That being said, there is also a point where Karma comes into play and a human being that needs to follow the order of things. Road rules – they are there for a reason – general public safety. A speed limit is NOT just a suggestion. I admit, I will go over that legally posted limit by 5 MPH (like many others) on city highways and I’ll go up to 10 MPH on the interstate. This is really just to keep up with traffic flow, depending on the area, 5-10 MPH isn’t really going to get you anywhere THAT MUCH quicker. My problem is people who are going 80+ in a 60 MPH zone or 55+ in a 40-45 MPH zone.

If you (and myself is totally included in this), left late to work, that’s your problem to deal with. Your mad-dashing around should not impact my safety and unfortunately, too many daily accidents are due to people’s impatience and bad judgments. If we all paid more attention and wasn’t in a hurry, we’d see that car that pulled out thinking it was safe and not because you decided to change lanes (and admit it, probably didn’t use the blinker either), the accident could have probably been avoided. If we were off our cellphones and not distracted, we would have noticed a car pulling out or a car stopped, or the light had changed – all accidents that could be prevented.

As my Mom always says, “It’s not you that I’m worried about driving, it’s everyone else.” Granted, you can only be held responsible for your own actions, but awareness is key and I think more driving awareness would greatly benefit everyone. Following the rules and order of things is important. We’re all in traffic, but if I see you pull out from behind me and then race to the “front” and then try to get over, I will not allow you over – you’re an impatient, rash and a jerk and I’m probably gonna let you sit there until you either push your way through (and my dash cam will show that you hit me) or until you learn your lesson that day and sit there until someone else lets you in.

Perhaps this might seem unforgiving, but according to Google (between the (2) 1 hour drive each way to work + UberEats deliveries + normal driving), I spent 2019 in a car for 23,871 miles and approximately 891 hours (and that’s just what it tracked based on location and such). That’s a LOT of time in a car + with my recent accident making me still edgy, so yes, I have a feeling about these things. There are society rules (driving rules fall under that rules) that you are not above to break and we have too many people addicted to instant gratification and ego-boosting. Stay in your lane buddy and chart your path (and time) accordingly.

*Gets off soap box*

Thoughts? Comments? Anyone else share similar concerns?

Do me a favor this February… Its my birthday month – let’s see less accidents. How can you increase your driving awareness, how can you share with others about such awareness? Can you give someone a Random Act of Kindness (RAOK) – letting them in or being more patient? You never know who is behind the wheel – a first-time driver, a newer driver, someone who’s had a ridiculously bad day or just got some devastating news, someone who feels they’re about to throw up, horrible headache or stomach cramps from being sick and heading to the doctor. Slow down (don’t be an asshole to other drivers) and be kind.

Let’s shine bright together this February (and be in less accidents)…