The signs are big, bold, and most of them are in red, yet I still missed each one. The result was disaster.
The exit to the car rental lot in San Francisco is clearly marked. It is unusual in that all agencies are located in the same concrete tower, but, otherwise, the same rules apply. You check in, sign your contract, and pick up your rental vehicle. What could be difficult?
My excuses are many. To start, I was tired, very tired. My body was suffering from jetlag. After an emotional weekend, I was walking and talking through a gaze of post-party depression. The kids were quizzing me about what CD we were going to listen to. Cherry was asking some kind of question. Nobody bothered to warn me. I was totally alone in getting out of the garage; in a crowded van nobody was willing to help direct me. Whatever my excuse, I was driving and I missed every sign!
I could almost begin to believe my excuses if I had stopped after the front tires ran over the teeth in the pavement going the wrong direction. I had seen the event on TV, but somehow that misses the incredible rush of air fleeing from the tire holes and the sinking feeling that quickly permeates everyone in the van as they realize what is happening! However, I kept going until all four tires were fading like a bad souffl?.
I know the signs. My mouth carries the ability to heal and nurture or to inflict incredible pain. I am not unique; “the mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.” (Proverbs 10.11) I even see them, but somehow I find myself missing the crucial one. The results are plain and simple disaster!
Sign are crucial and we are each responsible for our choices. Fortunately, replacing tires is just about money and we did laugh all the way to San Francisco. I wonder what kind of teeth my words will have today.
