5 Things...

Okay folks. 5 things that I'm realizing about Pittsburgh (there are more, but this is what comes to mind quickly). I will warn that a good number of them are about driving in Pittsburgh. But here it goes:

1. 2 miles away no longer means 5 minutes to get there. I've truly lost all concepts of time here. Between it feeling like a constant Saturday because Joe's home or misjudging time for traffic, I feel like I'm perpetually late, even if I'm perfectly on-time. For example: if Google maps says it takes 15 minutes to get somewhere, it takes 30. If it says it takes 30 minutes, it takes 45 to an hour. You always need like a 30 minute buffer time just in case. Crazy.

2. Red light means go right? Granted. I've run a red light before. But pausing at a red light, letting the pedestrians pass, and then going is beyond running it. That's just blatantly ignoring it. So before going, make sure not only that turning lane of oncoming traffic is stopped, but the cross-traffic too.

3. What? You're supposed to yield to on-coming traffic when you're turning left? I'll admit. I have now done this big "no-no", but there's SO many cars that if you don't go during that hesitation when the light turns green, then you're pretty much lost until the next light.

In general, I'm learning to be an aggressive driver...

4. On a lighter note, we live in a community, not a neighborhood. I think there's a difference. In Kansas, our neighborhood was Lenexa. Other than 1 church family that lived in it, we didn't really know anyone there. Here, not only are we surrounded by people from seminary, but you get to have you're usual haunts and it becomes a recognizable community. It's truly a blessing to behold.

5. God is working. Before leaving Kansas, I was comfortable. We were very blessed with Joe's work and insurance, and our wonderfully loving church family. But with comfortableness, sin creeps in. By taking me out of my funk and into a new city, I feel more bold, maybe even a little courageous. I see immediate and not-so-immediate needs, and truly desire to fill them. He's changing my heart and sanctifying it for His work. Not that I'm perfect. I'm still very much a sinner. But He's working, and that above all is a wonderful realization.