Older and Wiser

I take the Mass Turnpike to work almost every morning. Today, as I zipped along at about 70 mph in the 55 mph zone, another gentleman, in true "Masshole" fashion, decided to "urge" me to drive faster by pulling up close behind me and waving his arms excitedly. From my rearview, I could see the expression on his face (yeah, he was that close), so I could tell that he wasn't having a genuine emergency. He was angry, red in the face, and shouting some really obscene words. (No, I couldn't hear him, but I sure could read his lips!) I thought I was trucking along nicely, but hey, everyone's entitled to their opinion.

There was a bit of traffic, so it wasn't safe for me to immediately move over, but I knew that horn blowing and light flashing were only moments away. When the way was clear, I signalled and moved over to allow the other driver to pass. He pulled up alongside me and then slowed down long enough to drive his point home by screaming some more (I still couldn't hear him. I was listening to the radio). He finally punctuated his vitriol by flipping me the bird, and then he sped off.

My response? Well, I just smiled at him, waved hello, and sent him a silent blessing. Sir, I hope you get to wherever it is that you're going to safely. I surprised myself, actually, because I really meant it. I even felt a bit of compassion for him: Seriously. Who wants to get to work that badly?

I know that a mere decade ago, my response would have been radically different. (Ask me some time about the day that I intentionally rammed another car while going 75 mph on the very same road, fully prepared to die or kill in defense of being "right.") But today it seems that I've grown older and a little bit wiser. Those two kid's seats in the back — even empty ones — are a nice reminder to be civil and to focus on the important things in life.

Take it easy out there. Life moves fast enough.