Thursday, October 1, 2015

Suppressed Rules

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The other day, at a busy 4 way intersection the traffic light ceased to work. Now while this may seem like a recipe for chaos and mishap, quite the opposite occurred. Somehow everyone knew to be more cautious and to take turns so that accidents were prevented. A non working traffic light at a 4 way intersection, functions the same way as a 4 way stop sign.This is something you learned in driver's ed, but rarely have a chance to use.

Expecting chaos and not having any, provides a feeling of relief and it's because we can fall back on what we know.

As I drove through the intersection I realized that this could only happen because every driver was familiar with this unwritten, suppressed rule of the road.


They are other situations in life, where we know what to do, but because its occurrence is not common, we neglect it. Also what's rare for one might not be the same for another. So in my case it's dealing with elderly parents - managing care and being mindful of their emotional state. This is new to me (I don't have any grandparents). But I know it's part of honoring my parents, so I do it. I've also learned that the parent child relationship is enriched when you're adults - pretty much nothing is off limits and the older generation offers an interesting and sometimes much needed perspective.

Suppressed rules revolve around what should be done in the situation.- things people sometimes don't like to hear under normal circumstances and remind us not to take our "normal" for granted; because at some point your normal can change.

Don't wait for a broken traffic light to remember to be courteous to other drivers on the road. In the same vein don't wait until something or someone is gone to realize that you didn't handle with care.


Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous.[a] Be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 [NLT]


So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 [NLT]

The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 1 Peter 4:7 [NLT]



Your normal can change in the blink of an eye. Are you ready?

1 comment:

  1. I am reminded of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 when EVERYONE in the New York City tri-state area behaved as if we all lived in a small town. We cared about each other, we looked in on, we cooked for one another . . . we cried together and we mourned. We were all of one single mind . . .This fast-paced area is known for its rude, quick-tempered, pushy, fast paced denizens. However, during the attacks, we knew exactly what to do for each other. Our normal had changed not just in that moment but forever. In many ways, we've gone back to big city living but I know that should our normal change ever to that degree again, we know exactly what to do in times of intense stress and how to care for one another in love.

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