I took a road trip to Prince George a couple weeks ago - when the highway was closed between Chetwynd and Dawson Creek because of the flooding. So I took the scenic seven hour version (instead of five) - which took me eight by the time I hit all the construction zones and let the two dogs out for bathroom breaks every couple hours (and honestly me too).
I had googled the highway closures to check on the road status and I found something interesting; at least it was interesting to me. When I went onto the DriveBC website I had several options and it is a good website but it left me pondering.
If it had been a quick pondering I might have let it go but I pondered for quite a while in my little brain and it consumed a fair amount of drive time thinking. So I figured it might make a good blog.
When you go to the DriveBC website there is a heading - "Road Conditions and Events". When you go into that section, the "Events" are a list of road closures or construction. If I went over to the "by route" area I got to click on little red cones - signifying an "event" = road construction.
I guess in my mind an Event is not road construction - I told my son later that getting stuck for 20 to 25 minutes because of road construction over and over could certainly cause an "event" if someone got angry enough. "Road construction itself does not an event make" - this is the statement that ran around and around in my head.
So much pondering happened that I googled the definition of "Event" here it is:
"event" a thing that happens especially one of importance; a planned public or social occasion; each of several contests making up a sports competition.
I suppose that road construction is a thing that happens, especially one of importance but to my way of thinking it is not an event. Now it does contain the element the second definition - 'a planned public occasion' as we all sit together out on the highway baking in the heat, wondering how much longer? - but to me not an event. I usually look forward to an event - anticipate it, wait for it - I do not look forward to road construction.
There are the other kind of events that "happen" to us - that are not so good - damaging wind storm, flooding, fire. But "road construction" is just plain not on my list of "events."
The tourists in Jasper I saw standing out in the field trying to get "close" to the wild and huge elk also sitting in the field could certainly have turned into a "sports competition" otherwise known as an "event". I did not wait around to find out, thought about it but decided not to.
The black bear that ran right in front of my car - could have been an "event" - 'Several Contests making up a sports competition' - me hitting my brakes fast enough to stop and him giving himself the speed he needed to run out of the way... it had the makings of a possible event.
Maybe I just had too much time to ponder these kind of things but in case it's not just me...I wanted to throw this out there to see what others think - is road construction an event? You decide...