PEOPLE ARE FUNNY
People are funny. But I don’t mean the type of funny that makes you laugh or even smile for that matter. This kind of funny seems to do the exact opposite. This kind of funny makes you frown and often shake your head in regret or disgust… ’cause people act funny.
I was reminded how funny people are yesterday around lunch time. I was leaving a business lunch at Applebee’s. It wasn’t my choice and I guess eating dry and overcooked chicken is better than getting sick from it being undercooked… but I digress…
The parking lot to the mega outdoor mall and shopping centers was jammed with people, mostly retired people. The mall is just west of Sun City, the famous old Del Webb senior retirement city northwest of Phoenix.
As I pulled up to the main parkway road that leads to the traffic light on Grand Ave I saw a red Ford F-150 short bed pick-up on the aisle west of me. The truck was slowing to a stop as I checked east again and gunned it into the main parkway.
I pulled up to the last four way stop sign and stopped to wait for a car to the south to pull out. That’s when I heard the red Ford’s horn blow. I glanced into my rearview to see the guy with the baseball cap holding his arms out to the side, his left one out the rolled down driver’s window. So I mimicked him and did the same thing.
The main parkway road east of the four way intersection opened up to four lanes, each lane a turn lane to left or right on Grand Ave. I saw the red Ford trying to catch up with me before he had to stop short in the left hand turn lane due to the amount of cars in front of him. My lane only had a few cars at the light waiting to turn right.
I have a history and habit of obliging people in traffic that want to talk… or fight. Some habits are hard to break. I stopped short of the cars ahead of me so Mr. red Ford pick-up driver could tell me what was on his mind. His wife talked first.
“You almost ran over us back there,” she said.
“How is it that I almost ran over you when we were pulling out at the same time and I was in front of you? If anything you would have hit me.”
“No. If we wouldn’t have stopped you would have ran us over!” she exclaimed.
People are funny. No one in their right mind could have construed that situation to be life threatening or dangerous or reckless. These folks were emotional. And I learned a long time ago that arguing with emotional people is a big waste of time.
I looked the driver in the eyes and waited for him to say something.
“That Hummer don’t mean a _od damn thing to me!” He had fury in his eyes.
Ahhh. Bingo. He had vehicle hate for me for what I was driving.
I get that a lot. Not as much as I did when it was new, but my truck brings out the worst in a lot of people… ’cause people are funny.
Here I am driving a twelve year old truck with close to a hundred and fifty thousand miles on it and people are still hating it. Or the people that represent what they believe the type of people are that drive them.
They don’t know I used to drive new F-350 lifted crew cab four wheel drive trucks with diesel engines all my life that you could hang meat in, the air conditioners worked so well. The last one was stolen, used and destroyed by Coyote’s hauling illegals across the border. I never drove those trucks more than three or four years anyway. In good times and bad I managed to drive what I know is a truck that is light years better than that Hummer.
They don’t know that the air conditioner in my Hummer is close to useless in the summertime, not a good thing in the Arizona summers. They don’t know that I don’t particularly care for my Hummer. They don’t know that the recession has left scars and changed the way I buy work trucks forever.
I could tell the guy that was around my age, maybe a little older, wasn’t about to call me out so I called him a loser. His wife defended him and told me that he was not a loser.
“Yeah, he is a loser to say something like that,” I said and rolled up my window and pulled up to the cars in front of me waiting at the light.
I had immediate regret for having stopped to let them talk… but people are funny… and I’m part of the group… unfortunately.
There was a beggar standing on the center concrete island leaning up against the light signal pole holding a sign. There’s beggars on every other corner nowadays and I usually ignore them. Most of the beggars are young and fit people that would rather beg than work. And I know in this town if someone wants to work there is a job to be had for them.
But this was a girl. And I don’t know if it was me feeling guilty or if God used the circumstance for His benefit. But I called her over across traffic to give her some cash. In the process the light turned green.
“God bless you,” she said with a sincere voice and eyes. I nodded.
That lane trying to turn left, along with the red Ford with the Hummer haters, got stuck as the girl made her way back across to the center island. That made me smile a little inside… people are funny…
Ed Damas
Sunday, March 10, 2019 @ 2:57 pm
Well at least you’re not living in the Las Vegas/Henderson area. Had a guy attempting a left had turn in the southbound center lane. No problem except he was coming straight for me in my lane… which was the northbound center lane.
I know enough not to honk or be mad at what people drive. Especially Hummers… since they still have the obligatory insurance, gas, maintenance to pay for it, and nobody wants to buy them out. Just imagine driving a 2000 Toyota Tacoma… I get door knocks, written notes, and even people yelling at me in traffic asking if I want to sell it.
A smile always makes the day so much better!
Martha J Orlando
Sunday, March 10, 2019 @ 7:12 pm
People are funny, indeed, Floyd. I often find myself wondering if those I meet, or read about, are actually occupants of the human race, or just a distraction placed here by God to be a challenge. Oops! Ouch! That could be me to someone else!
Forgiveness is key. Forgetting follows as a close second. I’m always mindful of how I drive my car as I have a decal on the back window that declares “Forgiven by Jesus.” If we’re forgiven, we need to act like it, no matter in what circumstance we find ourselves.
Blessings, my friend!
Cheryl
Monday, March 11, 2019 @ 7:29 am
People who hate others just because God has blessed them have deeply-embedded issues. I know people like that, and it is always hard for me to understand why a person would be envious of someone else who has worked hard and been diligent and reaped good things in their lives. Unfortunately, we have family members who are like this, and it is SO hard for me to tolerate. Glad you got safely away from the haters before they did something worse to you. People are so crazy anymore. God bless you, brother.
Betty J Draper
Monday, March 11, 2019 @ 8:57 pm
Sorry brother but I am still chuckling as I type. My husband hates Khols because they have given us the only bad mark on our credit score. He paid the bill but because of their bad book keeping process it did not get in on time. So he does not like for me to have a Kohl card and really if he had his way we would never shop there. But we do and one time he was checking out the lady ask if he had a card and her proceeded to tell her why he would not use one. She looked him straight in the face and said, sir, you need to get over this. I think someone needs to tell that man and women to get over the hummer. Yep we all are so funny and I am always amazed when I see what tick some folks off, as if I don’t have things that tick me off. Now Ace tells that story about Kohl a lot and we all laugh about it but really, truth be known he is still mad at them. But he will shop the sale rack at least. Thanks for the good laugh even if you did not mean it to give a good laugh. I have never ridden in a hummer, they remind me of a tank so that mean they are rough. I like our big Buick, smooth, like floating on a feather . Blessings.
Dikkon Eberhart
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 @ 5:52 am
Yeah, people are funny. But not funny enough, sometimes. As in your story.
What I’d like is for everyone to be funny–really funny: making laughter for other people: that kind of funny–all the time, so that all of us could just enjoy the world God gave us and thank Him for the effort He made and He continues to make… even when I suppose He may shake His head in distress when he sees that, yeah, people are funny.
Betty
Saturday, March 16, 2019 @ 4:54 am
Amen to that!
Hazel Moon
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 @ 10:18 am
Yes, people can be funny and human too, but that lady had her smarts on backwards.
Lisa notes
Wednesday, March 13, 2019 @ 10:21 am
Yes, we each are funny in our own unique ways. I’ve been spending more time lately with one of my quirkier friends and I often catch myself thinking how funny we each are. You enjoy your Hummer or your F150s or whatever serves you well, Floyd!
bill (cycleguy)
Wednesday, March 13, 2019 @ 12:20 pm
“People are strange when you’re a stranger” is what Jim Morrison once sang. They are. And they are funny. Sad funny. Making idiots of themselves over things which matter so little. Little does he know I would not have a Ford F-150 unless someone gave it to me. 🙂 As for the Hummer, I can’t fit in it. LOL So I’ll stick to my 2016 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab Pro-4X. 4 WD. (let’s see what else I can add to that style?) People sure do strange and funny things. I’d love to see what they thought later on.
Dolly at Soulstops
Friday, March 15, 2019 @ 10:47 am
Floyd,
Dikon said it best so I’ll just “ditto” him and I’m glad you weren’t hurt.
Betty
Saturday, March 16, 2019 @ 5:01 am
It’s so good to finally be online again, Floyd, so I can read your posts. You make me feel like I’m right there witnessing the scene. Now that I’ve moved to a town a little bigger than the previous place I lived, there is more traffic and people seem to drive crazier over here. One lady named two roads here she never travels on due to the deadly crashes. I thought to myself, “Thanks for that scare! I have to travel one or both of those roads to get anywhere from my new apartment!” I can’t imagine how she manages bypassing the two roads without spending a lot of time and gas traveling back roads. I find that a bit funny! 🙂