my new enemy

Traffic lights.

To be fair, I've never been too fond of them. They have caused me to be late to work (my leaving the house late has never had anything to do with it), injected stress into an otherwise short drive (my impatience has never had anything to do with it) and affected my gas mileage. One of my favorite aspects of living in a more rural area is the fact that we rarely have to deal with them (at least a lot less often than when I lived in a more urban area). But, I have also always understood their importance, need and ways of benefiting me (I'd still be stuck on some small roads trying to turn onto a major road if not for the benefit of a traffic light. Because of this understanding, traffic lights and I have had a neutral relationship over the years...that is, until now.

As I mentioned, I live in a rural town. I also work in a rural town. I encounter 4 traffic lights going to work and 2 returning home. And 1 of those lights I turn right at anyway. But this past Monday I had to step out of my rural comfort zone. Polly, Genevieve and I went to a fundraiser for a childhood friend's father (he became paralyzed after receiving his flu shot...unreal) being held at Dockside in Malden (the city where I grew up). My parents came along as well.

About an hour into dinner, Genevieve suddenly became very fussy (unfortunately, Polly may have to adjust her diet a little bit). She was not having a good time of it. Polly and I tried our best to settle her down. We finally asked for the check and took off (the only thing we had yet to do was eat dessert, so she probably did us a favor).

We went back to my parents to try to feed her one more time before the drive home (about 1 1/4 hours). Genevieve was still incredibly fussy. The only leverage we had left was that we would be in the car soon. And she loves the car. She knocks out pretty quickly. She likes to be moving. The car is a great solution to satisfy this desire.

When we finally reached the highway, she quickly knocked out and didn't fuss the rest of the way (even after she woke up). The problem was getting to the highway. While still driving through the city, she would settle down just in time for another traffic light. Every time we reached a red light and stopped, she started fussing again. There were about a dozen lights. And some of them were long. Polly had to sing to her at red lights to help her relax a little.

So, it's official. Traffic lights and I are enemies!