Left Hand Turns

Left hand turns - perhaps its the area I live in but I see an awful lot of people trying to turn left amidst commuter traffic on back roads with lots of houses and very few traffic lights. Its a wonder anyone makes it to work for all the people being held up by left hand turners.

Sometimes I keep on driving too and let them sit there with their turn signal blinking, my excuse being that I am still partially asleep and don't have the wherewithal to stop and wave them across. But when I do -like today- I all but have to send a personal invitation that "you may now turn." Perhaps the suddenly stopped car and a wave of the hand aren't enough. Oh no they want a hearty wave of the hand or a flash of the lights. So is it the fine print in our minds that says, "You can't trust other drivers" or perhaps it is more like this we don't expect people to actually let us cross or make the left turn. So you just sit there in a daze and wait for some break in traffic while 20some cars wait frustratingly behind with terrible thoughts directed toward the left hand turner rather than all those passing by on the opposite side of the street. And you can be sure most of the 20some being held up wouldn't left the left hand turners turn either if they were on the other side of the road!

So today I tried. I stopped. I waved. I waved again. I flashed my lights. All the while hoping those behind me didn't decide to keep on going!
And the left hand turner -with a surprised look on her face- finally made the turn!

Why so surprised I thought? Is it just my neck of the woods? Morning rush hour drivers? A narcissistic society with only thoughts of personal schedules and not the common good?

So I traveled on convicted because of the fleeting surprised look on the left hand turners face. Also I recalled all the others surprised looks I have gotten when I have occasionally stopped the flow of traffic to let someone make their turn and I saw myself!

Life's circumstance seem to have conditioned me not to expect someone to come along and let me turn! I have sat and waited hoping for a break in traffic. So when someone comes along I am surprised and bewildered. Therefore a little slow to move and not ready to make my turn because I have been waiting for something and all but had given up hope of it happening.