Recently, I outlined the premise behind my new running series of posts called A+ America. Today's first entry of positivity was one that totally and pleasantly caught me by surprise. Now I can tell you that I tend to do most of my grumbling and griping about the human condition when I am driving. It seems to me that it is here that humanity displays what it is really made of. So many drivers out on the road seem to only care about themselves. Their safety. Their schedule. I can assure you that in my few-mile-long drive from home to work, I am typically cut off multiple times. People run the red lights at will. Everyone seems to believe that their turn signals are entirely optional and serve no real purpose whatsoever.I have seen too many horrible accidents and near accidents between emergency vehicles and drivers who refuse to let them through. Hey, why should they be inconvenienced or miss a light. It's not their emergency. Well, this all sets the stage for my first A+ America award. I was on my way home from work the other day. It was the height of rush hour. The road was completely packed with cars. It was that time of day where you keep one foot hovering above the gas pedal and one hovering above the break. Nobody is getting anywhere fast. That's when I first heard the siren wailing in the distance behind me. A check of my mirror revealed it was a fire engine. As it got close to my position, the most amazing thing happened. It looked like the parting of the Red Sea. Every single driver on that road with me somehow just cleared a path and the truck was not delayed for a moment. I have never seen that type of obedience to traffic protocol before. I have to admit that the drivers on the road with me made me very proud of humanity at that moment. Thumbs up to everyone.
