Sidewalk Hazard - Fallen Signs

In light of my recent on the town excursion, I'm dedicating this week's sidewalk hazard to an issue I discovered along the way. I didn't think that this was a universal issue, but who knows? You might get a sign stuck in your way too.

Ummm......that's not normal, right?

Still, I had to give it the "roll over" test.

Survey says....no.

The best part about it was reading the little white sticker on the back of the sign that says something to the effect of "hey, don't mess with this sign".

Hmmm...does moving the sign off the sidewalk constitute a form of tampering?

Keats has a theory of negative capability in which he suggests that a person should be comfortable with the fact that they can't know everything. Yeah, I guess that's cool. After all, year after year I learn something new, and I have to accept that year after year I was naive and foolish. But, there are times - like coming across this sign - when I don't have a logical explanation and I can't even deduce one from the aftermath. Why was this cut down and not stolen? How long has this been lying here? Who do you call to take care of this? Signbusters?

I wouldn't consider myself to have a type A personality in much of anything really. When you've lived on Oahu for three years and you've watched tourists come and go, the same as the tradewinds and typhoons, you come to accept that life pretty much goes on at the same pace as it did before, even if you've closed your eyes for a little afternoon nap. Work will still be work. Flowers will still blossom and perish. This kind of island mentality really affected me. But there are still issues out there - issues that you obviously can't just roll over. We've all got 'em. So the real concern begins to be, how are you going to handle them? Will you stop the presses and throw a tantrum (as I did when I took this photo? It was right before lunch - if you ever want to see an island boy angry, don't feed him), or will you find a way to carry on to more pleasing sights and sounds?

Valentine's Day is a holiday dedicated to love. So, love your partner. Love your friends. And love yourself. Try to bring a little cheer into their lives and yours by picking the latter option - by choosing negative capability, and carrying on with your life. And most of all, don't make this a one-time-a-year kind of deal. Signs of love always leave the best impression when they fall on the most unimportant dates of the year.

-Andy