Stop Signs are erected on the roads and in the mind to alert one to the need for reflection, for analysis, and for conscious decision before proceeding. Conscious decisions are necessary if one stops acting before proceeding. Safety and good sense underlie the decisions, it is to be hoped.
Stop Signs assume many forms. An actual Stop sign, a spoken word, a glance, a noise, a sight, a feeling of unease, a cry.
Life's risks present Stop Signs. Fearful people, risk averse people, thoughtful people, knowledgeable people, children and old folk, slow people and fast people, all facing the identical circumstance, the same Stop Sign, react differently.
So many proverbs relate to this need to reflect before acting. "Look before you leap." "A stitch in time saves nine." "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." "Haste makes waste." "Look carefully at the mother before marrying the daughter." "Plan your work and work your plan."
This first entry on this Blog is designed to make me think carefully before making future postings. Yet knowing myself, I will dash off an entry that springs full blown out of my mind without the benefit of my wise words here. So, I will accept all critiques gracefully - or as gracefully as I can.
