Under Construction...

I've been thinking...There seems to be a lot of road construction going on right now in Podunk. Everywhere I had to drive today was a construction zone. One of the main east-west arteries was closed a couple of blocks from where I needed to turn, and so I had to detour.

The main boulevard, running north-south, that leads to all the newer shopping areas, has been under construction for so long that I don't remember what it was like to NOT have heavy machinery everywhere. When they're through, the boulevard will be four lanes, each way. More traffic, more lanes, and more opportunities to miss your turn.

Oh well.

It also occurs to me that at least three projects recently have been to undo something that was done before. For instance, the street behind our office was a one-way, east, street for I can't remember how long and this year, it was reworked, repaved, and repainted. And now, it is a two-way street again. Of course, the hospital's new emergency department and emergency vehicle entrance are on that street, so maybe that is why it was changed.

Another project, last year or the year before, was to reopen a street that had been closed off as a “traffic hazard.” It seems that it was more of an inconvenience than a traffic hazard. Many people who worked at the county courthouse, or the country education department, were having to drive a considerable distance to get to work. And now, the street has been reopened and they have cut their commute nearly in half, supposedly.

I remember when Podunk got its first really huge, fancy department store. It was also the first building in town with an escalator. Not only could shoppers get to the second floor more conveniently, the escalator provided hours of entertainment to bored teenagers, preteens, and adventurous younger children, too.

Well, the department store declared bankruptcy and went out of business. Fortunately for Podunk, another department store chain came in and leased the building and opened just about two weeks ago. I won't tell you who they are, because they don't pay me to advertise for them. They do, however, sponsor a parade on Thanksgiving, but not in Podunk.

So many changes. Nothing seems to stay the same. Sometimes the changes make things better, and sometimes not. And, while I could complain about the expense for undoing changes that didn't turn out to be so great, I think I'll just be glad that someone, somewhere, wasn't afraid to undo something that wasn't all that great.

It's kinda like life, I think. Sometimes we do something, thinking it will be so great, and it isn't. And sometimes we are too embarrassed to admit that it was a mistake, and so, we live with it. I think Podunk has the right idea:

Sometimes a do-over is a good thing...