OPINION
As a kid, if something didn't go right the first time I tried I was unlikely to try it again.
For the most part, I am naturally good at the things I try to do.
That can definitely be a blessing and a curse when you are a perfectionist who most of the time doesn't need to try to succeed.
However, most of the things that are really worth doing well in life are worth doing poorly until you can do them correctly.
I find that to be true in my personal life, including in the way that I try to grow and change as a parent who definitely does not get everything right the first time.
That's true in the way that I conduct myself professionally with my staff and with the public.
I try, and if I mess up to make it better.
It doesn't always work, but it's always worth the effort.
I also try to do that otherwise, such as learning lessons from relationships that did not work, to apply to new relationships in the hopes that they will go better and be more successful.
Recently, mine has been one of the voices calling for the stoplight at U.S. 377 and Liberty Road, and as recently as last week, I wrote a column about how happy I was to see that light go up.
While I am still very happy and grateful to see that light, and I still firmly feel that it is a necessary addition to the area, I will say that it appears that some fine-tuning and refining is needed to make it a good situation for the entire area.
The timing for the traffic, largely the traffic coming north from U.S. 377 and U.S. 380 appears to be misfiring, leading to big delays for people trying to make their way home to cities like Krugerville, Aubrey, Pilot Point and Tioga. Just because the start has been rough doesn't mean it wasn't worth doing.
Just because the start has been a challenge doesn't mean it will always remain a challenge.
I hope TxDOT will get enough feedback to focus on improving the flow of traffic in that area by using better timing to sync up the traffic flowing north and it will continue to improve the safety of that intersection.
Whether we like it or hate it, this area is growing.
I see the work the local leaders have done to try to stem the tide of growth, but they have really been hampered by decisions made at the state level that prevent them from rejecting certain types of development.
What we have to do in the face of so much growth and change is embrace the growing pains and work to find ways through them.
If we can't keep growing with the growth, we'll be the ones who suffer.
Abigail Allen is the Editor & Publisher of the Post-Signal. She can be reached at aallen@postsignal. com.
