Everything started out fine. I woke up, went to Yoga, had a nice early lunch, took a quick nap and then felt motivated enough to hoof it to the grocery store. Things started going down hill from there....
I should have known not to go to the grocery store that is in the middle of a busy shopping area at 3 pm on a Sunday but what can I say? My good sense escaped me.
I should have known they'd be out of things they normally have like ....onions??
I should have known that when I products I wanted were stocked, they'd have just a tinge of mold. Enough that I couldn't scrape it off and feel good about myself.
I should have known that turning left, from the left lane, onto a one way street on the way home was a bad idea and I would clearly be in the wrong. (insert record scratching sound.....) Wait, what?!?
What ensued after I made a LEGAL turn amounted to some of the worst road rage I have experienced. Not just in the Philippines but ever. I won't go into all the deets but suffice it to say, instead of admitting he was wrong, this particular driver decided honking and flashing his lights and following me home....was the proper way to behave.
I have calmed down considerably since but it got me to thinking, how SHOULD we deal with road rage, our own and others'? So, down the Internet rabbit hole I go....
Things to remember while you're in the grips of road rage:
1. “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” - Buddha
Here's a great little article from tinybuddha.com
Dealing with other people's road rage
2. Try to imagine the other person as a human being who goes through the range of emotions and issues throughout their day. What if the other driver had considered the frustrations that I'd already dealt with today? What if I had known he had a sick child or dog or had been up all night? There is no excuse for being a turdbucket but remembering that other people are ... people...can sometimes help.
3. Laugh it off. Because really - it's silly. I mean, there was absolutely no reason for either of us to have gotten so angry. What a couple of jackrabbits we must have looked like. His honking and aggressively tailgating and my colorful language -- all pretty foolish.
4 . Never underestimate the other driver's capacity for mayhem. Picked up that advice from roadragers.com.
I've already admitted (sorta) that I exchanged some words with this gentleman. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have. Turns out he's the kinda guy who not only doesn't follow road laws but also takes GREAT offense to being reminded of the laws by a woman. When I not only turned out to be a woman but also a woman who felt like defending herself, I think things turned a corner (pun intended). Maybe it was subconscious but I think he was embarrassed at my nerve and that embarrassment quickly turned into increased aggression. I underestimated what would come next and his capacity for being a true jerk.
5. If you don't have tinted windows and have no insight into number 4, maybe don't flip the other guy off. That needs no attribution. Consider it a free piece of advice from yours truly.
And I guess, when all else fails, you could try this:
Or this - although, it might go against the spirit of this post. Still funny though..
And if that seemed inappropriate, maybe you should stop reading now. Because let's be honest, no matter how much deep breathing I try to do or how many motivational podcasts I listen to, I will still probably wake up tomorrow and adhere more to the following than anything I have said so far. Que sera sera.
I will try really really hard not to shake my fist or give anyone the middle finger though. REALLY REALLY REALLY I WILL. Until I get some tint on my windows and then it's ON! <wink>
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