There Ya Go
The neat thing about being able to write a column in my favorite newspaper every week is being able to take personal experiences and share them.
And I have a good one for you. Bear with me, there is a moral to this tale.
This particular moment came on my way back to Tracy from covering last week’s Camden Conference Cross Country Meet in Cottonwood. I was a few miles from town on 11 when I passed a truck. Now, I’m usually a pretty conservative driver, careful not to floor it too often, mostly out of fear of getting pulled over. I don’t pass many vehicles; in fact, I hate passing, even when I know it’s safe.
On this night, however, I was in a bit of a hurry, so my right foot got heavy and I made the call to go around the truck, after getting past the double lines, of course.
After passing, the truck sped up and got pretty close to me. Then, paranoid me asked myself what I did wrong? Nothing, I answered. I just passed a guy. Happens all the time.
He backed off as we approached Tracy, and I turned right onto the highway.
So did he. Coincidence? Probably. Then I turned left onto 4th St. So did he. Coincidence? I guess so, but my paranoia level ticked up.
Then I took another left onto Hollett, as my destination was Tara’s place.
So did he. Coincidence? I think not. Now all kinds of thoughts raced through my tiny brain. Was this a buddy goofing around? Was this someone who recognized my Jeep and wanted to offer birthday wishes on my big day? Or did I really get under this dude’s skin by passing him?
Of course, I assumed the latter. And I was right.
He pulled into Tara’s driveway behind me.
Here we go. And this is where the moral begins.
Most of us have seen road rage videos on our phone. I gotta admit, I’m hooked on them. They’re compilations of people getting into verbal or physical fights over something someone did to tick off a fellow driver. There’s a lot of shouting, name calling and even fisticuffs involved. I sometimes chuckle at them, like I would laugh at guests on the Jerry Springer show back in the day; it’s funny how other people’s problems amuse us, isn’t it?
But there are more incidents in this country that don’t involve road rage. Last Wednesday, a shooting at a Walmart in Illinois left two people injured. A scuffle that started as an argument between two men escalated when one of them pulled out a gun and started firing. One of the injured was a 70-year-old bystander.
We hear about these incidents on a daily basis, and they’re not all funny. Nothing that drastic happened to me last week. Why? Because this man and I both had enough common sense to avoid it.
We both exited our vehicles, and the man — a few years my senior — walked up to me, upset about my driving habits. But he wasn’t screaming and shouting, or flailing his arms, or drawing a weapon. He just wanted to talk to me about that particular road and how many deer frequent that area. His message was clear, and he told me he wasn’t concerned about his own safety, as much as he was thinking about me as he spoke in a disappointed-father tone. Likewise, I didn’t blow up and get on his case, either. And I could have. I could’ve been the aggressor and yelled in his face to get off my property. Hell, I even could’ve threatened him. But where would that have gotten us? Tracking someone to their home and going on their property vigilante-style is 1,000% not OK, but I stayed quiet and cool as I listened.
Because we’re both level-headed adults, the two of us actually were characters of a decent, mutually-respective conversation, and I told him I got where he was coming from because I humbly knew he had a point. I didn’t appreciate his aggressive driving when he sped up behind me after I passed him and I could’ve told him he was being a bit hypocritical, but I didn’t tell him that. I didn’t judge him. I didn’t yell at him to back off. I didn’t swear at him — and I know a ton of swear words!
I didn’t disrespect him. And that’s the moral. Being aggressive against others because you think they’re in the wrong is not the way to go, people. Everyone makes mistakes and uses poor judgement at times, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve our respect.
I wasn’t happy he momentarily tailgated me, or that he followed me to Tara’s, but an angry, spite-filled confrontation only serves to escalate conflict, and that’s not good for anyone.
Still, it would’ve been nice if he at least would’ve wished me a happy birthday.
