Having grown up in Southern California, I really didn’t hear
the almost incessant horns honking for absolutely every infraction they see clueless
drivers commit. It’s like living on a busy street and being unaware of the traffic noise after a few
weeks. When people visit, they hear
it, and then it is dragged into the forefront of your hearing. But left
unnoticed, it remains that way.
Moving to Fairhope almost six years ago, besides the
friendliness and warmth of the people, I almost immediately realized that there
was no one honking their horn – for any reason. It was wonderful.
When I observed local people following what we in California charitably
called ‘Q-tips’ – skinny old people with white hair of which I am one, by the
way - going ten miles per hour BELOW the speed limit on a two-lane highway,
they simply smile, relax, push back in their seats and go with the flow. And
they seem genuinely happy about it. It surprised me.
I’ve noticed that people in my newly adopted town don’t seem
to be all that much in a hurry. Which, again, coming from California, is a
shock. Before moving here, getting to my destination one minute before everyone
else became a way of life. Didn’t matter if I raced over the speed limit,
honked my horn or even… yes, I admit it – even if I gave them the middle finger
salute for having the gall and audacity to slow my progress in any way.
Not anymore.
In Fairhope, I learned that it is not so important to get
there first. No one cares, and least of all the locals. I learned that going
slower, enjoying the view, the journey, spilled over to my personal life as
well. Put in perspective, it doesn’t matter if it takes you one minute or ten
minutes more to get there. You just learn to leave earlier and enjoy the ride.
That’s why it has been unnerving to my senses to recently
hear horns starting to honk in Fairhope.
With all the articles and publicity about how charming and
wonderful our little corner of the world is, ‘tourists’ are flocking to see
what all the hype is about. And they are not disappointed. The city is a flowered
jewel. The influx of tourists is good for our family merchants and local restaurants
as well.
But…
Unfortunately, along with this they have brought that
annoying habit of ‘honking their horns’ for every little infraction they deem to have been committed. They
don’t realize that there are no walk signals in the city. The stoplights, as
far as pedestrians are concerned, are merely suggestions. You can tell who the
tourists are if they wait for a green light before crossing the street. Locals
walk across the street when convenient. And you know what? It works.
But the blowing horns is simply annoying.
On my way to lunch a few days ago I observed three different
cars honking their horns and noticed the license plates were not from around
here. I know this sounds like I am picking on ‘tourists’ from other states, but
I have yet to see a car with Alabama plates honking a horn unless waving to say
hello or to avoid an accident.
I feel like yelling at them to stop. But that would be rude,
and we tend to take our ‘southern manners’ seriously here in our little slice
of heaven. So, I have a suggestion. We post signs at all entrances to Fairhope
that read:
There’s no Honking in
Fairhope.
If they have seen the movie A league of Their Own with Tom Hanks uttering that famous line
“There’s no crying in Baseball,” they will get it. If not, maybe we can
persuade them to continue driving on I-10 another few miles west to Mississippi
where they can honk all they want.
©John O’Melveny Woods
Great!
ReplyDelete