Recently, at a red light, the car behind me stopped at a normal distance. Well done, good sir! There was a red arrow to turn left or make a U-turn, so I did not move an inch. The guy behind me pulled two feet closer. A few seconds passed before cars stopped coming through the light in the dual lanes of oncoming traffic. The guy inched even closer to the point I could no longer see his headlights. Even if I wanted to go, the left turning lane in the opposite direction blocked my view of the oncoming 55mph traffic. However, this fellow wouldn’t give it up and kept moving closer. I thought for sure he was going to hit my bumper.

When the light changed, I made a U-turn. After accelerating, I gained a lot of distance between us. When I reached the speed limit, I stayed there. The guy was in the left lane now and I was in the right. I watched as he got closer, slowly at first but increasingly faster the closer he got. My turn was up ahead and before long I needed to slow down. I was so mad at the guy that I didn’t want to give him an inch. A question stood at the forefront of my mind. Remember what he did at the light? To make matters worse, more thoughts came that added fuel to the fire. Did you see how close he got to you? It’s like you weren’t even there! How could he disrespect you like that, prompting you to drive blindly into oncoming traffic? On top of that, he expected you to break the law. Who does this guy think he is? Are you going to let him pass you now? Really?

I was going home with groceries in the trunk, among which was a gallon of milk. The thoughts continued. Who cares if the gallon of milk explodes in the back, it would be in the trunk, right? And, after all, smashed up food is still edible. Do you really want to let this guy get the best of you? As I neared my turn, for a split second, I thought of risking the whole trunk of groceries to prove a point. In the few seconds that followed there was a short debate inside my head. It started with question, stronger than all the others.

What are you doing?
(a brief pause) Trying to prove a point.
What, that you’re an idiot?
No (in childlike manner)! I’m not going to let him get the best of me.
He already has. Worse yet, he probably doesn’t even know it.
Hmm… well said!

Seconds later, I moved my foot to the brake pedal and began to slow down. I laughed the whole thing off and let them speed past me. Exiting the right turn lane onto the next road, I thought about how silly it was for me to get so upset over something so minor. The guy didn’t even hit me. I thought about what would have been one of the most disgusting smells I would have to live with for who knows how long, should the milk jug rolled around and busted loose. To be honest, it made me think of how easy it is to get worked up over something while behind the wheel of a vehicle. Some things are just not worth it. This was totally one of those things!