Yes, I understand what you are saying here. Yes, it could use some word smithing (i'm pressed for time today). You are correct that sometimes it can be confusing when we show an AC voltage source with a +/- designator on it, or show an AC current with an arrow, because these designators are constantly changing as the wave reverses.
While the choice for which direction is chosen is more or less random, once that choice is made, then it needs to be consistently applied. A good example of this is the designation we give to electrical current (either AC or DC). Due to not fully understanding electricity at the atomic level some couple centuries ago (was this Ben Franklin?), our convention for electrical current is opposite to that of electron flow. This still works fine as long as we keep that convention consistent. However, if we mixed electron flow and electrical current in the same analysis without being careful about the difference, it would lead to problems.
The same is true for the arrows we use for AC current flow, or +/- signs for voltage references. These designators are not intended to show the actual direction of the parameter, but simply used to maintain consistency. I'm tempted to use the word "polarity", but I don't recall what you wrote regarding that topic, nor gave it too much thought at the time. Off the top of my head, to me, polarity doesn't change as the waveform cycles, but direction does. Is that the same way you viewed those two words?