Rick Patrick
Columnist
“Slow down, you move too fast. You got to make the morning last. Just kicking down the cobblestones. Looking for fun and feeling groovy.” Those words of advice from Paul Simon have been going through my mind all morning. On my way into work, I experienced something that I have experienced many times before. After I pulled onto the highway, from a good distance behind me, a vehicle was quickly approaching. It wasn’t as if I pulled out in front of the driver, whom I will call “Hurrying Harry,” since I don’t know his real name. As I made my way down the highway, driving the speed limit (maybe a little bit over), I approached an intersection where traffic coming from the other direction had the right-of-way. As expected, there was a vehicle coming from the other direction for which I slowed down to allow them to pass. I could tell this decision to obey the traffic displeased Hurrying Harry, but I had made the decision that I would rather my friend, Harry, be displeased for a brief moment than to cause a wreck that would ruin the day for more than one person.
As you can probably imagine, the first opportunity for Harry to speed around me, he did so. I actually chuckled to myself, thinking he would just be waiting at the traffic light when he arrived at that location. Just as I predicted, I pulled up to the red light to meet my friend, Harry, there, waiting. Harry’s aggressive driving had not saved him one second. Not sure my friend, Harry, was “feeling’ groovy.”
I had someone say to me that I drive like an old man. I don’t deny that. My response is, “That’s how you get to be an old man.” I am even happy to help my impatient friend, Harry, get to be an old man, too.
So, let’s all slow down a step or two and take a deep breath, perhaps kick down a cobblestone or two. It might just help you to “feel groovy,” here on the Sunny Side.
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