Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

Reprieve For Wrong Turns

“Exit only if that’s the right place.”

Something about those markers that seem to give us orders that we have an urge to follow when we really shouldn’t.

Whether in a building or going down the highway, whenever an “Exit” sign appears, unconsciously we want to go there.

Frequently, we’ve opened an “Exit”  door “just to see what was on the other side,” even though we didn’t really want to leave the building, and we ended up where we had no desire being.

What’s worse is exiting a major highway thinking it’s the direction to go home, when quite the contrary.

While such has happened often, generally we realize our error, can make a “u-ball” or go around the highway exchange, and are on our way without much trouble.

After a heavy-day of horse show judging last fall somewhere in Missouri, we offered to take our co-judge back to the motel, where her husband was waiting because it was on our route home anyway.

Driving along at a good pace, reviewing some of the classes and re-critiquing the horses we’d placed, which is the common thing judges do, no attention was being paid to where we were or should be going. Then out of the blue, our passenger blurted directions: “You’re supposed to turn here.”

Sure enough, there was an “Exit” sign, so we instantly exited, then argued, “This isn’t right,” and pulled back onto the highway, just as the Highway Patrolman honked, screeched away to keep from hitting us and switched on the big-red-blinking-lighted-siren. Something not-very-nice was quoted, while we stopped as reaching into the glove-box for our driver’s license.

After truthfully explaining why we’d done what we did, the “nice-man” with a big-iron-on-his-hip surely wondered how two judges could ever know one horse from another, if we couldn’t follow traffic signs. Yet, he sympathized, and without citation, advised: “Be more careful.”

Thankful for that, we were “still lost,” as we’d unknowingly gone well-past the “Exit,” where we were supposed to turn, and continued getting more-lost. After a long time, and considerable discussion, we figured it out, and eventually found our way home.

Reminds us of Ezekiel 44:5: “Always be careful of the procedures for using entrances and exits.” Fortunately, Micah 4:9: “What is lost will be found. God will give you new life.”

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