PERSONALLY
A guy in a silver, I think a Honda Accord, or something like that, proceeded to impede the wide open lane I was speeding along in at the last second. I jumped on the brakes. This kind of thing happens to me daily… and I take it personally.
When you get older you start to say the same things over and over. Maybe it’s because we begin to run out of new things to say. Or maybe it’s because we think we’re so smart that our wisdom should be bestowed upon the world on a regular basis. Or maybe it’s because we’re trying to remind ourselves of things we believe are important. Whatever the reason, here I go again.
I think putting a person behind the wheel of an automobile is more effective than hooking them up to a lie detector and giving them the third degree. I’m thinking that watching a person conduct themselves in traffic might be more telling than if you shot them full of sodium Pentothal, you know, truth serum.
So as to stay out of the group known as hypocrites, as much as that’s possible in this fallen world, I confess that I’m a speeder. To be fair, I come by it honestly; my dad was a speeder. And my mom is still a speedster. I guess I fit nicely into that group that blames others for their actions…
The guy in the silver sedan doesn’t have the chronic need for speed disease like me. I knew that because he was following a car in the middle lane for half a mile as I was flying up the fast lane. His desire wasn’t for speed, it was for something else.
Mr. Silver Sedan decided to take it even slower than he’d been doing in the middle lane once he got in front of me. This is people talking with their vehicles. Mr. Silver was saying something like, “So you’re in a hurry huh?” That’s when I talked back by tailgating him at an unsafe distance.
I end our in traffic conversation by hitting the brakes, letting the car in the middle lane sail by, and gun it into the open right hand lane and punch it to take my spot in front of Mr. Silver.
The problem of reading others actions in traffic is that sometimes we don’t hear them right. Sometimes we, or I, take things too personally. Pride has a way of making us see things that aren’t really there.
Not too long ago I got cut off by an SUV. I shook my head and chalked it up to another person trying to teach me a lesson. Then they quickly turned. They’d almost missed their turn. And I’d made it all about me…
“… Do not think of yourself more highly than you should, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
You know you’re in a bad place, and I don’t mean on the road, when you’re taking things personally.
Sunday, June 2, 2019 @ 4:44 pm
Love this!
I try to make up a scenario of what is happening to that person at that moment that I would feel so bad if I had judged the situation wrong. So instead of a hand gesture or following them until they pull into a parking lot to “teach them a lesson”, I tell myself maybe they just got a call that one of their kids had an accident or their wife is in the back seat giving birth, etc. sounds crazy but it makes me stop and think that life isn’t always just about me and my story.
Thanks for the thoughts Floyd!❤️
Sunday, June 2, 2019 @ 6:35 pm
Why do we care if someone “cuts is off” while driving? If you are walking in a mall or market and someone walks in front of you, do you flip out or move on? This movement of road rage and “I have to be first and in front” is both juvenile and dangerous. I for one hate driving because of those drivers. Everyone needs to get over themselves and remember they are behind the wheel of a weapon and we all want to go home to our families at the end of our day.
Peace
Sunday, June 2, 2019 @ 10:53 pm
You’re clearly a vicious, out of control, predator… !😉
You’re right of course, but it’s a stretch and a goal for some of us…
Sunday, June 2, 2019 @ 11:53 pm
Oh, my, I totally get what you are saying and am so guilty of the same. I feel convicted to the core when I hear these two songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74h3XXzuc2I and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_jAmVSiPQg. I pray God forgives me and helps me be more tolerant of what others may be going through. Thanks for this reminder, brother.
Monday, June 3, 2019 @ 5:02 am
I am really careful when I drive, Floyd, because there is a decal on my rear window that reads “Forgiven by Jesus.” That is a great impetus for me to keep my pride at bay when I’m behind the wheel. Otherwise, who knows? I could be just as prideful as the next driver.
Blessings!
Monday, June 3, 2019 @ 9:08 am
I must admit I love to drive fast, but at my older age, I am being wise to slow down a bit. Especially when others would like to take your license away thinking you might be an unsafe driver. I am being more cautious as I drive, and watching out for others who think they need to get there sooner than me. Another vehicle can be there at the wrong time and wham, which is not so good. Love your post today, Floyd. At my new age (88) just celebrated, the DMV wants me to have a driving test. Haven’t had one of those since I was a girl at 18. In those days, I had to wait until age 18 to get my license. I expect to pass the test, but there is always anxiety when any test is being asked for.
Tuesday, June 4, 2019 @ 2:13 pm
Loved your lesson here, Floyd.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019 @ 10:47 am
One of my life mantras is “Don’t take it personally.” I’m growing to get there; definitely not easy. Especially in traffic. 😉
Wednesday, June 5, 2019 @ 5:43 pm
I’m not a speeder but I do react when people who don’t belong in the fast lane decide to use it to lollygag. That sort of gets to me. I used to pass then put on my brakes to slow them down slower than they were going but then I realized I was just hurting myself. And my testimony. Especially when the person turns into where I’m going. Yikes!