One for the Road

I love driving. Everyone is so polite, no one flips you off. When you need to pass someone, they let you do it. When you drive, people are going close to the speed limit, not 20 mph over or under. They don't use their cell phones driving, they always look twice before turning, they don't beep at you if they think you aren't doing something right. Everyone uses their turn signals, no one stops abruptly. No one cuts you off in traffic. Everyone pays attention to the road. The police just wave as you pass them, because they are happy, donut-fed, and relaxed.

                                                                          *****

Oh, wait. That's just in my dreams. Yesterday driving home, it had snowed pretty bad, and my brakes are bad. Someone decided to stop abruptly, and the car in between us was able to stop. Me, not so much. I tried, I really did. But my car started sliding, and in order to avoid rear-ending the other car, I just slid into the oncoming lane and passed them. As I was passing, I got flipped off.

When I was learning how to drive, I used to get upset at people who passed me, especially when I was going 5 mph over the limit. Then my dad said, "Don't get upset. They may have somewhere important to go, and you aren't in the car, so you shouldn't judge them." And I have lived by this since then. Unless you're cutting me off, I let you go. Sometimes, I feel bad for going too slow for you. But I just wish this patience was reciprocated by others.