Please Stop! Thank You

Driving provides fertile ground for observing habituated responses. Whether it is driving the same route to work each day on autopilot - not really knowing how you got where you were going, or sending the fire finger to the driver who cut you off unexpectedly - many of us can say we have been zombies behind the wheel.

Take stop signs. We see red octagon, we stop, then go. Usually.

Today I did just that while driving through Lake Linganore. I saw the sign, and stopped. But this time, it was different than the usual habituated stop and go. I softened. I breathed. I smiled. Why?

Because taped below the standard octagonal sign is a child's simple message - carefully decorated and gently stated - "Please Stop. Thank You." First off, Miss Manners would be proud. But more importantly, it is a reminder that built into our own traffic control system is an opportunity to pause. Rather than seeing the stop sign as a necessary inconvenience, we can use it as a visual bell of awareness.

See red. Stop. Breathe. Proceed mindfully. And don't forget to smile.