Stay In Your Lane

I am not sure who came up with the saying, but it has become a well known and necessary tool to use in this world gone berserk. It is a concept we teach in school at very early ages because kids don’t understand boundaries (a lot like my dogs!). Apparently there are a lot of adults that never learned the concept either.

Sometimes when I get a kid being nosy about something going on with another child, I tell them: “You know what that is? It’s noneya.” That usually stops them to ask, “What is noneya?” I tell them, “It’s noneya business!” LOL. They usually laugh and get the point.

There was a magazine years ago called The National Inquirer. I am not sure it they are still around or not. The tag line of the magazine was, “Because inquiring minds want to know.” It was just a gossip magazine about celebrities and apparently sold pretty well. We all have that tendency to want to know what is going on in someone’s life…particularly if it is BAD! That is kind of sick when you think about it, but I guess it makes us feel somehow better about ourselves that we are not as jacked up as they are (at least in our own mind). LOL.

Several years ago a pastor friend of mine was going to lunch with some of his staff. As they were pulling into the restaurant parking lot, a guy cut him off and took his space. The pastor did what most of us would do when he got out of the car. He gave the guy a dirty look and said, “What is your problem?!!!” Well things went from bad to worse and heated words were exchanged. My pastor friend went over to the car with the guy still sitting inside…only to have the guy in his car pull a gun out and point it at my friend! I asked him what he did and he said he told the guy, “Buddy, if you pull that trigger, you better make sure to empty the gun on me!” Wow. All of this over a parking space! Luckily both guys calmed down and no life was lost, but that could have ended very badly!

Here is the problem with not staying in your lane: you risk having a fight, an accident, or even the loss of someone’s life! Sometimes people have the best intention of wanting to help, only to have that person blow up at them in return. It is one of those “wow” moments that we wonder, “ Where did that came from?!!!” Well, here is some insight into this thing we call humanity: everyone is jacked up! We ALL got issues! None of us really know what is going on in another person’s life or in their mind, and we can end up stepping on a landmine…sometimes very innocently.

What is the answer? I call it the Aretha Franklin solution: “R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Find out what it means to me!” We need to respect boundaries of other people. We all need our space. When you invade someone’s space, just know that there may be some very unexpected consequences.

I am not suggesting looking the other way or ignoring people who are breaking the law, abusing a person or an animal, or allowing them to do something that puts others in harm’s way. We have a moral obligation to stand in the gap when someone is being bullied, threatened, or abused…but we still have to respect the law and deal with it in a lawful manner. Even though I live in Texas…I believe we have to abide by the law.

The bottom line is, stay in your lane when possible. When you do venture into someone else’s lane…look before you do it and use your turn signal. This applies to traffic and to life itself. Let people know your intention (if it is to help). If it is not your business and you insist on proceeding, then expect a potential conflict and results that you may regret.

P.S. There are a lot of people who carry guns these days. I have no problem with that personally, but I think it makes me at least think twice about getting into someone else’s space…and maybe that is a good thing for everyone. If you assume everyone is carrying a gun, you might think twice about how you treat them. :o)

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

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