Expectations are a major factor in the success or failure of what we do. The list of our expectation is usually almost endless, stretching from performance in kindergarten to marriage and company CEO or a soldier in combat.
I've found that the most frustrating can be the most mundane. Take for example the four-way-stop. In the south, most (not all) folks are courteous drivers But at a four-way stop, one should be aggressive enough to take one's turn. Otherwise, the other drivers don't know what to do. I have only one four-way on my route to school. At least a couple times a month someone just sits at the stop waiting for others to go, even when it's obviously the hesitant one's turn. Confusion sets in, which could also be dangerous. I have an unwritten personal rule too. If there are only two cars at a four-way-stop and the other waves you through--you go. This is not the time for "counter waves." Ahh, you go; no, you go; no, you go; etc.
If you are from New York or New Jersey, you won't understand much of the foregoing paragraph. That's OK. Just read it again if you ever plan to more to or visit the south. Having driven in both places, I have a theory about it. It's not that the people are that different. It's that the traffic density in the North-East is so heavy that you must be aggressive just to get around. Like getting on US-22 within 20 miles of Newark at 4:30 p.m. during the week. If there's a space 2 inches longer than your car length, you take it.
Oh, if you're coming to Atlanta from the North-East, you'll fit right in. In fact, staying off the roads in Atlanta from 3 to 6 pm on weekdays--and from noon on Fridays--is a good plan.
Kids are out of school here now and will be so in a week or two everywhere else, too. Take special care on the roads and at work if you have younger summer workers and interns around.
Gene Canavan is a retired West Point Graduate and Paper Mill Utilities Manager and lives in Prattville, Alabama, USA.