Nice, safe not same in some drivers

There's been talk lately about a lack of niceness in the Shoals.

People are complaining about other people being rude and impolite, although complaining, of course, itself could be considered rude and impolite.

"Decency - that's what's needed," people say. "Nobody's decent to anybody anymore. Nobody's polite like they used to be. Nobody cares about anybody but themselves."

Now, we're not talking here about niceness in terms of knowing which fork to use. Fork usage and other such matters fall into the category of etiquette, and we all know that etiquette doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with niceness.

After all, you can know which fork to use and get invited to all the fancy places, but unless you're nice about it, so what?

Niceness, we can all agree, is key.

Furthermore, most people would say that you simply can't have enough niceness - especially in these days when paychecks are small and tempers are short and a smile and some understanding go a long way.

But I am here to tell you that you definitely can have too much niceness.

I have proof.

The other day I was driving on Avalon in Muscle Shoals, headed toward Tuscumbia (my husband says this is "headed west," but "toward Tuscumbia" is better because we all know where Tuscumbia is but who's really sure about west?).

Anyway - and I know this is hard to believe but it's the absolute truth - between Woodward Avenue and Helen Keller Hospital, the woman in the car in front of me came to a dead stop three separate times in order to let other cars go out in front of her.

And I mean completely stopped while driving (west) on Avalon - no stop signs or red lights. She literally stopped in the middle of traffic to let somebody else pull out from a side road ahead of her.

I'm sure that this woman - who then sped up when we got to the hospital and careened away toward Sheffield - thought that she was doing good deeds.

I'm sure that she thought to herself, "There is not enough niceness in the Shoals. I'm going to be nice and let other drivers go in front of me and maybe they'll be nice to others in turn."

And that is a sweet and noble thought - except for the people behind her who had to suddenly slam on their brakes in confusion and hope that the people behind them had enough room to do the same.

People like me.

The first time she did it, I thought, "How sweet."

The second time she did it, I thought, "How nice, yet annoying and dangerous at the same time."

By the third time she did it, I was not thinking nice thoughts at all.

So can we all agree to be nice, yet safe?

Can we all agree to help each other while not causing traffic mayhem?

Please?

Thank you very much.

Cathy Wood is a freelance writer living in the Shoals. Her e-mail is cathylwood@gmail.com. For more from her, visit TimesDaily.com.