Warning Signs
I found this quote from Mitta Xinindlu: When exploring, read the warning signs: figuratively and literally.”
When we were in Massanutten, Virginia last spring we were going for a walk and came across this sign.
I almost turned around, but kept going. I can’t say that we were especially noisy and I can’t say that I’d stand my ground if I saw a bear. How about you, Wickeds? Have you ever ignored a sign? Are you a rule follower? Have there been figurative signs you’ve ignored?
Edith/Maddie: A high school friend who lives in Alaska recently posted a picture of a bear who’d come up the outdoor stairs at his apartment complex and was ambling along the open air hallway. Yikes! When I was in my home territory of greater Los Angeles four years ago, I came across signs warning of both rattlesnakes and wildcats on a canyon trail. I did NOT hike down that trail. I’m pleased, when I was starting out wanting to be an author, that I ignored all figurative and literal signs about how hard it is to get published. So I’m both a sign follower and a sign ignorer.
Liz: I don’t mess around with certain types of wildlife either, for sure! I guess it depends on the sign. I think about signs more in the intuitive nudge sense vs. actual signs, although those – like the above – have some merit in these cases… But I definitely follow my intuition. Most of the mistakes and bad decisions I’ve made in the past have come from NOT following it, so I’m more inclined to let it lead the way today.
Julie: Liz, I do the same thing! No matter what the situation, I trust my gut. If it doesn’t feel right, I listen. Also, I don’t mess with wildlife. I probably would have kept walking as well, but I would have been talking loudly.
Barb: I have a vivid memory of driving from the Gold Coast in Australia to Sydney and seeing this sign.
Underneath it said, Wild Horses, 10 KM. The question it brought to mind was, what happens when a herd of wild horses charges onto the road? You die, right? And probably so do some of them. If a saw horses, wild or otherwise, grazing by the side of the road, I would slow down and look sharp, as I do for deer at home. But if the horses were galloping toward me? Moose are deadly, but they move more slowly and travel alone. Wild horses? Fuhgeddaboudit.
Jessie: I love the topic this month, Sherry! I am a huge believer in signs. More than once in my life I have heard a voice in my head giving me a warning sign about upcoming danger. I took a chance and listened and it paid off to a startling degree. Twice it saved me in a car accident. I often wonder where the voice comes from, but I am eternally grateful for it.
Readers: How about you?
