By Pamela Stephens

Have you ever noticed that road signs are a lot like life? We’ve gone down the road in our motorhome and sometimes I get bored, just sitting! Big surprise! Sometimes I am reading, sometimes I am crocheting, but sometimes I am lost in a daydream. At other times, I am “observing†the signs of life!

• “Wrong Way†or “Do not enter†are important signs when driving a 38-foot motorhome! You really could end up where you don’t belong! A one-way road is definitely hazardous!

• “Watch for Falling Rocks!†— And what will you do if you see them falling … hey, good one ... I’d give that a 7.5! Yes, these could really damage our traveling home!

• “Dangerous Curves Ahead†— They are not talking about mine! Curves are tricky in a stretch limo and most certainly in a 38-foot motorhome!

• “Yield Right of Way†— To whom? Oh, that 53-foot semi truck barreling down the lane we are trying to enter! Yes that is a good thing to do!

• “Turn Lights on Next 5 miles†— Is it dark for the next 5 miles? Are there drivers ahead that are worse than the ones we’ve dealt with so far? Well, then, what about the rest of our trip?

• “Run Away Ramp†— Is this a ramp that is rebellious? Just how does a ramp run away? And why? Is this the ramp I take when I want to run away?

It put me in mind of a book I had read quite some time ago, Milo and the Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Perhaps you’ve read it too! It was a fun read, and tongue-in-cheek humor absolutely, but it had so many real truths about life! For instance, there were some destinations on this road where the tollbooth was: A sign along the road said, “Welcome to Expectations!†We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Expectations is the place you must always go to before you get to where you are going. Of course, some people never go beyond expectations!

“The Doldrums†was another area along this highway. “The Doldrums are where nothing ever happens and nothing ever changes … where it’s unlawful to think, think of thinking, surmise, presume, reason, meditate or speculate; where the daily schedule consists of daydreaming, napping, dawdling, delaying, lingering, loitering, putting-off-until-tomorrows, loafing, lounging, dillydallying with almost no time left for brooding, lagging, plodding or procrastinating!

Perhaps “Dictionopolis†would be more to your liking? “A happy kingdom advantageously located in the Foothills of Confusion; caressed by gentle breezes from the Sea of knowledge, where the ‘word market’ does business and the Minister's Cabinet consists of the Duke of Definition, the Minister of Meaning, the Earl of Essence, the Count of Connotation, and the Undersecretary of Understanding. In Dictionopolis you can pick fresh if’s, and’s, and but’s and get ripe when’s and where’s — juicy words for sale!â€

What about a visit to the “City of Realityâ€? Or to the “City of Illusions?†In the latter, there are “mirages- things that aren’t really there that you can see very clearly — often easier to see than things that are!â€

Or then there is the “Island of Confusion†… so “how did we get here? You jumped, of course! — that’s the way most people get here … every time you decide something without having a good reason, you jump to Conclusions whether you like It or not. It’s such an easy trip, I’ve been here hundreds of times, but getting back isn’t so easy.â€

I sense the quietness I haven’t heard for awhile, and realize we have stopped for a break. My husband asks why I’ve been so silent and where I’ve been: â€Oh, first the Doldrums," I repllied, "and then the City of Illusions, from where I jumped to the Island of Conclusions … while I’ve been right here all the time!†He looked at me pretty funny, but then dismissed it. He knows me!