For two days in a row she found herself sitting at a red light. When it turned green, before putting her foot on the gas to pull out into the intersection, she counted to three.

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On each of those two occasions another motorist, in an SUV, ran a red light and sped through the intersection, barely missing her. Had my best friend of more than 45 years pulled out before counting to three, the results could have been terrible. Or worse.

It was her dad who taught her to always count to three after the light turned green and before pulling into the intersection. He knew that while green might mean go, there was wisdom in waiting. To allow a sliver of time in which to more fully assess the situation before pulling ahead.

Life is full of green lights. What was not a possibility until now suddenly is, and we are given the green light. When it does, there is wisdom in waiting, just long enough to allow a sliver of time in which to more fully assess the situation before pulling ahead.

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(With gratitude to Phil Patterson for teaching her to count to three, and to Kristine Patterson for always counting.)