Disclaimer: Before I tell this story, I would like to point out that 'The Injustice of Driving (part I)' was written LAST year, before I attended the Landmark Forum, and REALLY started to make an effort to control my road rage; so those that know how bad my road rage can get should be proud of me!
Just over two weeks ago (I distinctly remember it being Friday, August 31, because it was the Friday before Labor Day), I was leaving work, relieved that it was Friday AND a holiday weekend - no work on Monday, yay! I had just pulled out of the parking garage and on to State Street, intending to turn right on 500 South and take that particular freeway on ramp. Unfortunately, I'd pulled out behind a bus, which was lining up behind other buses - I didn't want to wait for them, so I made a snap decision to swerve around them quickly and get back into my lane. Of course I checked my mirrors, and all I saw was a Jeep Cherokee in the distance, and I thought it was far enough behind me that I could swerve around the buses and get back into my lane without cutting off the Jeep. No such luck - the driver saw me start to swerve, sped up, and honked her horn at me. So when she sped around me, I held my hands up in an effort to communicate that "Hey, I had to swerve around the buses!" She zoomed around me and cut in front of a few other cars ahead of me. I went through the next light, and saw her pulled off to the right in front of the courthouse, picking up some shady-looking character, and she must have seen me coming in her rear-view mirrors, because when I passed her, her middle finger was plastered to her window, flipping me off. I beeped my horn (BAD idea) just to say "chill out!" as I passed her, and got to the next light - 500 South - where I was waiting to turn right. She comes up right behind me, so close I bet our cars were touching (although I couldn't feel it), and puts her hand on her horn - and LEAVES it there, for the duration of the light! People were staring - I just ignored her. I bet it was a full 60 seconds before I got the chance to turn - and her horn was STILL blaring. So I hurried to the next light - but she zoomed ahead of me, in the lane to the right of me, waiting for me to pull up next to her - she still had her middle finger plastered to the window, and she was looking at me, yelling. So I didn't pull up right next to her - just slightly behind her. When the light turned green, she started to move very slowly, trying to get me to catch up to her, but I moved just as slowly - so she finally zoomed to the next light, and waited for me to get there. SAME thing - finger plastered to the window, screaming. This was NOT a good day to be hitting all the red lights on the way to the freeway. When THAT light finally turned green, I turned left and took another route to the freeway, just to escape her.
Now, at this point, I was shaking - a little from fear, mostly from anger. (Now is the part where you should be proud.) The entire time we're stuck at stop lights, I ignored her - not a smile, not even a glance in her direction (except to notice that her middle finger was still saluting me). I bet that made her even more mad - she wanted me to put up a fight of some sort. But the fact that I ignored her should make you proud - I could have rolled down my window and started screaming at HER and flipping HER off - but I didn't. I was shaking so badly when I finally made it to the freeway, I had to concentrate on breathing. When I had finally calmed down enough to think clearly, my Landmark training kicked in, and I stopped making that lady wrong for what she was doing. I had no idea what her life was like - for all I know, her husband had just left her and the kid she was picking up at the courthouse was HER kid, having just made bail after being in jail for drugs or something - she must have been having a really BAD day. By the time most of the anger had worn off, I was left with fear - I was checking my mirrors every two seconds, positive that she was going to come out of nowhere and plow right into me on the freeway. Even when I finally made it home and parked in the driveway, I was looking for her. When I took my dogs out for a walk, I was STILL looking for her - I expected to see her cruising the streets, looking for me. I was positive I was going to come back and see my car beat to a pulp.
I guess I should work on my paranoia problem now!
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