Around these parts this time of year is "pothole season". Some roads get so bad its an actual obstacle course to drive it. Nothing worse than driving along and hitting a pothole that you didn't know was there. Many times I've feared a bent rim or a tire disintegrating before my very eyes.The people on the road commission work very hard in all sorts of inclement weather to make sure our roads are halfway decent.....but they can't be everywhere at once and potholes sometimes go without repair for quite some time. That's in the best of times. With the economy the way it is, the cutbacks taking place - less money - fewer workers due to lay-offs.....and the road commission getting their funding through tax dollars....well, you do the math. I think our roads may suffer for quite some time.
The only good thing you can say about potholes is that if you live on the street that has them, it certainly does slow the crazy speeders down. The speed limit on my road is 25 mph because I'm within sight of a school. A block away its 35 mph but everyone does 50 at least......except during pothole season. There is an area right in front of my mailbox that gives way to a big pothole every spring. After a while, I get used to hearing the 'thunk thunk' every time a car passes over it and when bigger vehicles (like school buses or beer and wine trucks) hit it, it actually makes the dishes in my hutch rattle.
A few years ago I watched the road commission workers in front of my house repairing this pothole of which I speak. I made it a point to go outside and yell a THANK YOU to them. Actually, I yelled, "Thank you, you guys are AWESOME". They waved back at me, smiling, and took twice as long repairing it and the repair job lasted much longer than normal. I absolutely know that they appreciated my acknowledgment of their hard work. Have you ever thanked a worker for doing an awesome job? I've been known to pass out cans of cold pop to them on a hot summer's day. Why not? A little bit of kindness gets you remembered and being remembered in the right circles for the right things will sometimes get you extra little niceties ...... like having that worrisome hole in front of your house repaired and repaired well. But, if not......it sure does make you feel good to compliment someone knowing how much its appreciated.
Most of the little things cost absolutely nothing to give out.....like compliments or a smile. I smile at everyone I see, even if I don't feel that well or that jovial. 95% of the people I smile at will smile back at me. Now how awesome is that? I've often ended my posts with "keep smilin' " and I really do mean that. So go do it and see how many you get back. In the meantime, be careful of those potholes......bent rims are nothing to smile about.
