Thursday, September 29, 2011

Road Rage

As I was coming home from work today I had to quickly pull out onto the road and get up to the posted speed limit as quickly as possible. There was a line of traffic coming up behind me and how rude would it be of me to pull out in front of them and slowly get up to speed not even taking their use of the same road into consideration. 

So I do get up to the posted 65 miles per hour quickly. If the traffic had to slow at all it was very little. But...I could not have gone more then 100 feet when I had to sloooowww way down because I suddenly encountered a line of traffic in front of me... going 49 miles per hour. This is a single lane old highway and to try to pass at this time of day would be a matter of risking your life, actually more like ending it.

At this point I can no longer stay on my cell phone. So I politely, as possible, explain that I must get off the phone and hang up. I can not hold back the grumbling and my heart rate has definitely increased. I mean after all aren't they tired and just want to get home too?

Finally, the lane divides into two lanes. I am thinking...YES! Now this line of traffic is just going to speed right on past that slow poke leader.  But NOoooooo! Oh the 49 mile per hour guy stays in the slow lane all right but now there is a new leader in the passing lane going at a top speed of 55 miles per hour. Really!!! What are you thinking!! By this time my heart rate is really raging and I am thinking about how to get even.


So finally the 55 mph cars eventually and slowly one by one move to the slow lane. YES! there was more then one. Guess they all thought after going 49 mph that they were just a cruisin'. The truck in front of me and I were free to go the speed limit, which has just decreased to 55 mph. And a few minutes later I have reached my turn.


So I make the turn and what do I get in front of me....Yep, an RV going 45 in a 55. Are you kidding me! I just know my blood pressure is through the roof. Don't these people realize that they are not on these roads all by themselves. I mean I have been known to lalagag down the road from time to time, but not when there are others using the same road at the same time as me. Come on people wake up! What if I was having a heart attack and needed to get to the hospital while you are on your sight seeing tour.  It could happen especially with the way you are driving. 


Eventually the speed limit dropped to 35 but that RV just kept going 45, obviously totally oblivious to the world around him. So I imagined him getting a big fat speeding ticket, strangely that seemed to put out the fire I had burning inside. 


These encounters are happening all the time any more. I can not believe how many people are out for sight seeing trips every day of the week during rush hour traffic out on the prairie. What is there to see out there? Just a bunch of hay!


So I ask myself, maybe God is trying to teach me something. Maybe he is trying to teach me how to deal with road rage. Then I decide that I wouldn't have road rage if people would drive the speed limit when they are in front of me and I am tired and just want to get home because I am never there anymore and I miss it. If God is trying to teach me something, it must be something else. But, I have learned something after all....


If you can't drive the speed limit, I  am going to run you over!