I offer, in advance, my apologies due to some less than lady-like language. However, the story is a true one and is worth the read. It happened to me yesterday. I must also say I am sorry I haven’t been around lately. Maybe my next blog will explain all the activities going on in my life….

Not Necessarily Road Rage, Perhaps Road Love

I get road rage, If you know me, this isn’t news to you. I was quite distracted today with my thoughts, in an unfamiliar and busy intersection and a little confused as to which lane I needed to be in. This should be absolutely no excuse because you have to be at your best when you take the safety of other drivers, pedestrians and your precious child in your car into consideration. However, accidents happen. One nearly happened to me today.

I was in a double turning lane going the same direction into my turn as the inside lane. I hate these kinds of lanes because inevitably some asshole will come right over into my lane that I am currently occupying. This startles and maddens me every singly time. Today, I had the pleasure of being that asshole. I have given you some reasons but they really hold no water because I put the safety of someone else (including my child) because I was flustered for whatever reason, into danger. I have been this way all day and might have been brighter to stay home.

Anyway, the man in the truck in HIS lane that I overtook, hit his breaks and avoided the collision. He laid on the horn (exactly as I would have done in his shoes) and pulled into the same gas station as I did. He got out of his truck and silently huffed, barely shaking his head, as he went into the store.

I felt terrible. Such incidents as being cut off in traffic tend to shake me to my core because we all know they can often be very frightening.

I pumped my gas and waited for this man to come back out of the store. I waited awhile too, he was shopping. But I had to acknowledge what I had done and offer my regrets for my actions. As I approached him, I asked, to be sure, if I had just cut him off at the turn. He looked at me as he loaded stuff into his truck and told me he was sorry for getting upset, that he had had a bad day. In case you missed it, HE TOLD ME SORRY FOR BLASTING HIS HORN AT ME AFTER I NEARLY CAUSED HIM AN ACCIDENT. I immediately told him I was so sorry, that I hated when people do that to me and I could make no excuse other than not paying really good attention. He had told me his day was bad and I offered that mine had been stressful too and then the DAMN TEARS started. This kind man came all the way around his truck and embraced me in a warm hug right there in front of everyone at the pumps. Obviously, we must have been the only people there as far as we were concerned.

After all this, I assured him I was fine and that I’d feel better soon and I hope his day would get better. We exchanged smiles and maybe waved and I wiped my tears and called my Mom.

Needless to say, I was happy with the ending to this story and wish more of mine would come off this way than my cussing and flipping the ever-ready finger.

I don’t know if it will change my future road raging too much, but it might. Today was probably a day better spent off the roads.

Kind gentleman, if you are out there, know that with the help of some friends and family and an understanding stranger, my day had improved.

I wish we could just speak to those who road rage us more often in person and try to understand their lives a bit better, instead of duking it out in the roads or shooting at each other.

I just thought I would share this experience and maybe renew your faith in mankind just a little.