and will not stop until all the marrow has been extracted and the only thing left is a dry , dull , tasteless shell .

I recently embarked on a new investigation upon discovering strange signs and signals everywhere I traveled throughout our beautiful South County . These signs and signals were everywhere . Could it be frequency Illusion – That phenomenon where you notice a thing , then you begin to see that thing everywhere — or , was I losing my mind ?

I also noticed that a large percentage of people would heed these signs and signals , stopping their cars on a dime , and acting in strange ways whenever they encountered them . For example , cars would line up and then move just a few feet forward at a time , taking turns accelerating after stopping their cars completely . Some people would smile at a car opposite them in an intersection and wave at the other car , allowing them to accelerate and move through the intersection before them . It seemed very kind and civil . At the signals , I noticed people would stop their cars and not move at all until the signal changed colors . Strange .

Then I observed a different group of people who behaved very differently . In fact , they acted completely opposite to the larger group . These people paid no attention to these signs and signals at all . They would move through intersections unrestricted and in complete freedom , with no interest in slowing down , regardless of the color of the signal . At the intersections where the strange signs were placed , these people had no interest in stopping nor in allowing another person to go first . In fact , they would rarely stop , slow down , or pay any heed to other people in cars , on bikes , or on foot . Strange .

With all these observations , I had to dive deeper . What I found was mind blowing . After speaking to local officials , engineers , traffic specialists , and driving instructors , I learned that these strange signals were called “ traffic signals .” Apparently , and as corroborated by the officials I interviewed — many who spoke only on condition of anonymity — these traffic signals are designed to keep people in cars , on bikes , or on foot , safe . Strange .

It appears that these professionals understood that when people operate cars without regard for signals or signs , chaos happens . I also learned that these signals and signs are so important that there are laws on the books that specify how people in cars are to behave when these signs and signals exist . That was illuminating because in my travels over the past couple years , I have not observed any legal consequences for any people in cars who don ’ t adhere to the laws about these signs and signals on a local level . So why bother to obey ? And , after all , shouldn ’ t people just know to stay out of the way of those who don ’ t obey the law ?

Our dear friend and neighbor lost her life a few years ago because she just happened to be in the crosswalk when a person in a car didn ’ t obey the law . She was on her way to church on a Monday to volunteer . Nobody told her that she should get out of the way of people in cars who don ’ t obey the law .

26 FALL 2022 gmhTODAY Magazine gmhtoday . com