Or: the logic behind the honking system in a certain Midwest county.

Most people have a job, and their duties are accomplished in a certain order. For instance, it would make little sense to vacuum the floor before you wipe the crud off a ceiling fan or light fixture, right? It will just fall to the floor and you’ll have to repeat the vacuuming.

If there are two people cleaning the room, it’s logical that the one who cleans the fan should finish before the other person starts vacuuming.
Basic, simple, and you’re probably saying: “Well, duh”!” Many of you, no doubt are asking: “Why didn’t I think of that?” I have a point, I promise, and this is it:

Sometimes, when someone does NOT do his job, it prevents others from doing their own job. For example, if my tenant does not pay his rent on time, my property manager cannot process the check and send it to me. This will affect my budget. Or, more likely, if my tenant does pay his rent and my manager neglects to mail the check, my budget will be likewise be affected.

If my lawyer sends paperwork to another lawyer, but that guy (or gal) doesn’t read, sign, whatever, the ball is dropped. I’m ticked, but I can’t very well call up the “other” guy and chew him out; who catches flack? My lawyer. And he is not happy.

Now, how this relates to the honking phenomenon of St. Louis County is this:

It is understood, in these parts, that if you’re in a long line of traffic and the bozo at the light has refused to move for longer than the three seconds since the light turned green, you honk your horn. Not lay on it, not honk it repeatedly, but a “hey, you – wake up!” is perfectly acceptable. And, you do NOT have to be directly behind this guy.

See, around here we get the point – at least in a traffic situation. If you aren’t right behind the guy at the light, it’s okay. You honk, the person in front of you does the same, and so on until the idiot camping out at the green light gets his butt out of the way.

Simple. Do your job, so other people can do theirs.

See, when you slack off, whether it’s while driving or returning a phone call or getting something in the mail right away, you not only drop the ball on your end but you cause others a lot of stress and strain. You don’t have to be perfect, everyone makes mistakes. But a lifetime of habitual mistakes is a symptom of the attitude of many: someone else will take care of it.

You know what? Someone else maybe won’t, or can’t. It’s a chain reaction.

So the next time you’re parked at a green light, don’t get all pissy with the drivers honking at you; smile, wave an apology, move along, and resolve to get your mind where it belongs. The next time you have a call to return, think about the person you’re calling and how they might just be waiting for you so they can make a decision or leave to pick up the kids. You might think waiting another day or two to mail something isn’t a big deal – but it might be to the receiver, it might affect his life in a big way. You don’t know, you can’t decide.

Just do your job, for crying out loud.