Today, as I was driving to work, there was a notice on the interstate LED sign:
INCIDENT AHEAD
MILE MARKER 76
INCIDENT AHEAD
MILE MARKER 76
The good news was that I was getting off on exit 70, so there was no need for me to panic about being stuck in traffic, being late, subsequently losing my job, and therefore become the size of an oversized farm animal from sitting on the couch all day watching Rachael Ray and reruns of Saved by the Bell.
But I digress.
I get off Exit 70 (onto a completely different interstate all together), and suddenly remember to call my sister. I pick up my phone, glance down to dial, and NEARLY HIT THE CAR IN THE FRONT OF ME. I throw my phone in the air (relflexes, much?), my stuff in the front seat spills everywhere, my coffee in my NO LEAK TRAVEL MUG (Starbucks, you MOCK ME!) internally combusts and I yell all sorts of swear words that may or may not be inappropriate to say in church.
WHO STOPS ON THE INTERSTATE? We are going 80 MILES AN HOUR, people!
Not only was the car ahead of me THAT I NEARLY OBLITERATED at a dead stop, but so was every single car for the NEXT13,000 MILES. Four lanes of traffic. At a dead stand still. At 8:30 in the morning. (Hello, Jenny Craig?) Clearly, the "incident" was a LOT closer than the South Carolina Highway Patrol anticipated. AND ON THE WRONG INTERSTATE. (Seriously. Do you really want a government that clearly cannot tell the difference between exit 76 and exit 70 making important choices about your HEALTH CARE? Don't answer that.)
Needless to say, I made it to work. BARELY. (Let's all thank our lucky Twinkies.)
But almost causing a wreck, on the highway, scared me. That accident would have been my fault. All because I glanced down at my cell phone for 2 SECONDS. 2 SECONDS! So. I've made a new goal. I usually make all my phone calls when I'm driving, since it's when I have the most down time (an hour and a half!). I'm now turning my phone OFF while I'm in the car- no talking, no texting (DON'T JUDGE. You know you do it, too.), NOTHING. I'm not willing to risk the lives and the safety of myself and others just because I have to talk to my sister rightnowrightnowrightnow about what happened on Dancing with the Stars last night.
So, if you call me, and my phone is off, it's because I AM DRIVING. I'm trying to keep myself and other people SAFE. I promise to call you back when I get to where I'm going. Now, walking and talking? That's a whole different story altogether. Let's just say that it's pretty amazing I haven't fallen down a flight of stairs.
Yet.
But I digress.
I get off Exit 70 (onto a completely different interstate all together), and suddenly remember to call my sister. I pick up my phone, glance down to dial, and NEARLY HIT THE CAR IN THE FRONT OF ME. I throw my phone in the air (relflexes, much?), my stuff in the front seat spills everywhere, my coffee in my NO LEAK TRAVEL MUG (Starbucks, you MOCK ME!) internally combusts and I yell all sorts of swear words that may or may not be inappropriate to say in church.
WHO STOPS ON THE INTERSTATE? We are going 80 MILES AN HOUR, people!
Not only was the car ahead of me THAT I NEARLY OBLITERATED at a dead stop, but so was every single car for the NEXT13,000 MILES. Four lanes of traffic. At a dead stand still. At 8:30 in the morning. (Hello, Jenny Craig?) Clearly, the "incident" was a LOT closer than the South Carolina Highway Patrol anticipated. AND ON THE WRONG INTERSTATE. (Seriously. Do you really want a government that clearly cannot tell the difference between exit 76 and exit 70 making important choices about your HEALTH CARE? Don't answer that.)
Needless to say, I made it to work. BARELY. (Let's all thank our lucky Twinkies.)
But almost causing a wreck, on the highway, scared me. That accident would have been my fault. All because I glanced down at my cell phone for 2 SECONDS. 2 SECONDS! So. I've made a new goal. I usually make all my phone calls when I'm driving, since it's when I have the most down time (an hour and a half!). I'm now turning my phone OFF while I'm in the car- no talking, no texting (DON'T JUDGE. You know you do it, too.), NOTHING. I'm not willing to risk the lives and the safety of myself and others just because I have to talk to my sister rightnowrightnowrightnow about what happened on Dancing with the Stars last night.
So, if you call me, and my phone is off, it's because I AM DRIVING. I'm trying to keep myself and other people SAFE. I promise to call you back when I get to where I'm going. Now, walking and talking? That's a whole different story altogether. Let's just say that it's pretty amazing I haven't fallen down a flight of stairs.
Yet.
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