Traffic Jams

What is the worst traffic jam you have ever been in?  Stuck in the middle of “Rush Hour” in Chicago?  Funny, I never see anyone “rushing” at that time and it certainly lasts more than an hour.  Perhaps you have experienced the bumper to bumper joy of 80/94. Yet they call it an “expressway”.   Maybe you have been stuck for hours behind a manure truck on a two lane state highway.  Be thankful that your sinuses cleared.  Here are some of the worst traffic jams in history:  Bethel, New York, 1969 – there was this little event going on called The Woodstock Music & Arts Festival.  There were 500,000 attendees (some actually had clothes on) and simply abandoned their cars and hippie VW vans because they didn’t want to miss the likes of Richie Havens, Joan Baez, CCR, and, of course, the greatest guitar player ever, Jimi Hendrix.  Issue = too many people.  Beijing, China, August 2010 – 62 mile jam lasting 12 days…that’s right, 12 days.  Issue = too many vehicles.  East/West Germany, 1990 – the Berlin Wall begins to fall and some 18,000,000 Germans want to reconnect with their families to celebrate the end of governmental oppression.  The result = a massive jam on the Autobahn (no speed limit), a road that was designed to carry 500,000 cars per day.  Issue = too many celebrators.  Side note = the fall of the Berlin Wall is a personal highlight. I never thought I would see that happen in my lifetime.

There is one place on the road that never seems to have traffic jams.  That section of road is called “The Extra Mile.” Issue = not enough people!  What constitutes going the extra mile for someone else?  Glad you asked. To make more effort than is expected of you.  To do more and make a greater effort. “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.”  Name the source of that quote for extra credit. Doing more than normal.  Extending ourselves in our efforts. Getting back up after you have been knocked down.  The value we give out comes back at an increased value. The older I get, the less I see The Extra Mile traveled.  Sure, there are examples of people going the extra mile that bring a smile to your face. The New York City policeman who bought a pair of shoes for a homeless man last winter. The mechanic in Chicago who takes in troubled boys and teaches them how to restore cars in hopes of keeping them off the street.  The couple who run a food pantry from the back of their van.  Being a member of “The Extra Mile Club” puts you among a select group of people.  You will have at least 180 chances this school year to go the extra mile.  It can be the commitment to phone at least one parent every day to tell them something positive about their child.  Maybe you will surprise a student by showing up at one of their games or events.  Perhaps you will offer to stay after school and work with a student who is falling behind.  There are countless ways to go the extra mile.  The financial compensation stinks, but the reward is priceless.  I hope to see “The Extra Mile” at our school in a total traffic jam much of the time.   

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Browns pre-season game this Saturday vs the Indianapolis Colts and next Thursday vs the Chicago Bears. Don’t get too excited. Last time I looked they didn’t award the Lombardi trophy in late August.