Monday, May 21, 2012

Illegal Use of Hands

I honked my horn at someone today.

I couldn't help it.  I was on the interstate on my way to work.  I couldn't help it though, this crazy lady driver kept speeding up and slowing down.  She was trying to avoid getting into a line of traffic, so she kept driving in my lane, but not at a consistent speed.


It didn't help that it was a Monday.  Or that I had a protein shake for breakfast instead of something yummy.

So, I honked at her.  You know, just to let her know that she did something wrong.

And then I felt guilty.  REAL guilty. 

You see, I used to have pretty bad road rage.  Back in the day, and we are talking way back in the day, I used to race everywhere, and would find myself using all those words sailors use. I'd find myself getting so angry at that person in the green truck, or that dumb cement mixer.   It was just a part of the driving experience.  Until.....

One day, I had a moment of road rage and flipped this stupid man (I'm sure it was a man) the bird.  (or as my friend, Anjeanette, would say, I put my middle finger in the air)  It just so happened to be Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday.  As I sat in church that night, our pastor told the beautiful story of Jesus washing another man's feet and how we are all servants to another.  And, at that point he looked right at me (or so it felt) and asked, "What have you done with your hands today?"




Yeah.  I was busted in the BIGGEST way possible.  Jesus had a hidden camera in my car!

I felt SO stupid after that question, and have really eliminated road rage from my life.  Until today.  HONK. 

Stupid car. Stupid JuJu.  Stupid HONK.

4 comments:

Colleen said...

I was the same way until my mom read in the local paper about a lady driving a red acura who was caught using her driving finger. Chances are that was me....

You got busted by Jesus, I got busted by Mom...

Lap Dog Knits said...

I used to honk..
but then times changed..as will happen not matter how much we try to stop it...
and road rage arrived.

there are those few who will answer your honk with a shot..

we don't even flash our lights at cars anymore - now I say a prayer that Jesus is always with me in my car..and everywhere else:-)

Grandma K said...

At least you weren't shot or run off the road!

sherri s. said...

Ooh, I have two road rage stories. I too used to be full of it--I lived in L.A.! Once I got into an argument with a cab driver--we both got out of our cars! He was a Middle Eastern fellow in a long robe, and all he kept saying was "What the H*LL do you think you're doing, lady?" (he was in the wrong, BTW--no really, he was).

And then, I actually DID get shot at on an L.A. freeway--and honestly, in this case I was not road raging. The freeway on-ramp narrowed from two lanes to one, and this guy started to edge in front of me, so I beeped at him, just to let him know I was there (not honking wildly, not cussing, nothing, just one short beep). We both got on the freeway then, and he pulled up beside me, reached into his glovebox (I freaked out then and sped up), and then I saw a flash. (It must have gone over my car, into the air--no reports later of anyone being hurt, thank the lord. I never called the police because I had no details to give--panic will do that to you).

Crowded freeway, nowhere to go...panicking...finally I decided to drop way back and let him go on in front of me, then I took the next exit--not mine, way far away from my house, actually--pulled over, and burst into tears; this was in the days way before cell phones. True story! Ah, good times. Now, I do NOT indulge in road rage--soooo not worth it. I was lucky, I think...