Sunday, February 4, 2018

Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.      
                                                                                                                       Proverbs 16:18
      Many years ago, on a business trip to Nevada, I was happily tooling along a highway south of Reno and Carson City, in a red convertible rental car.  I was heading to a place called Gardnerville, and there was nothing around me except blue sky, boulders, dust, and sagebrush … until I saw flashing red lights in my rearview mirror.  I knew I was within the speed limit – I prided myself on being a good driver – so I assumed the police car was heading somewhere else.  After a few more miles, I decided to pull over and just let himpass me.  When the police car pulled over behind me, my heart flew into my throat.  I felt sick.  The trooper who came over to my car said, in amused disbelief, “Well … did we finally decide to stop?!?”  “But I didn’t think you were following me,” I gasped.  “I’ve been obeying all the rules and driving within the speed limit.”  “Not back in Minden you weren’t,” he replied.  Turns out that a small town – all five blocks of it – that I’d driven through, has a lower speed limit than the roads leading into and out of it.  I didn’t know that. 
     Blessedly, the trooper understood that I was a visitor to the area and had never driven through Minden before.  He also saw how surprised and upset I was.  He gave me a warning, and told me to watch out for speed limit changes in the small towns dotting the desert.  I was so relieved that I wanted to hug him.  So-- I had done something wrong after all.  I wasn’t as blameless as I thought.  It’s a lesson I still remember.  “Pride goeth … before a fall.”

©Carol Dean Henn, 2018

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