Getting2Work

Driving is a unique activity and it’s interesting how a whole different person seems to emerged when he/she gets behind the wheel. I love George Carlin and this is one of his sayings:

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

Can you relate to the following? I stayed at work longer than I really wanted to but there was always something at the last minute. It was a short distance of surface road driving to get to the freeway, so no problem there. I had to stop at the freeway on ramp because at 3:00pm the signal is on to regulate the rate of additional cars that get poured onto the freeway and it’s way passed that hour. Only a few cars in line (well, a few cars times two since every green light two cars are allowed to merge onto the freeway), and I can see that the traffic was moving. I was feeling soooo ready to get home, kick back, relax and leave work at work. So moving right along … nothing unusual! Just the expected slow downs as various freeways merge and split.
But now here’s the section of the drive where traffic usually flow smoothly. The cars in the lane to my right is passing me! And passing me! What the …? So who’s the idiot holding everyone up? Checking my rear view mirror and my right side mirror … got room … moving over to the lane to my right … where was the big gap in front of the car that was ahead of me. Instead I saw a whole lot of cars in line moving along the same speed in my old lane. Now this lane is moving the same speed as the one I was in. Crap … some idiot just moved in front of me and there was no room to move back to my old lane. One car, two car, three car … as I counted the number of cars from my old lane passed me! I could go one more lane to the right and zoom pass and around them all! Finally there was an opening in my old lane and I moved back into it! All that and I winded up loosing three cars length!!!!! I could just hear those drivers that passed me saying, “What an idiot!” Ghrrrr … I know … no one really cared except me!

Luckily most of the time I do not drive like an idiot or a maniac. It really depends on the road and the size of the car in front of you. A lot of times you really can’t see pass the car right in front of you. That’s another good reason not to follow too closely. What I talked about happens all the time. How frustrated do we want to be while we drive? What situation do we allow to frustrate us? I do notice how I drive does depend on my state of mind when I get in the car or by the time I get onto the freeway. Some days it takes a little reminder that my goal is to get home without causing an accident or be involved in one.