This is another of my musings from having been on vacation recently.
I'm a pretty safe driver. I zip around town in my trusty old Honda and it gets me/us where we need to be. I try to be courteous, I let people in line when things go down to one lane, that kind of thing. I have noticed, though, that lately I'm getting more annoyed at inconsiderate driving. Nothing like road rage, and I'd never confront anyone, but my remarks inside the car are growing more frequent. It's on the level of, "What a jerk! I can't believe he cut that other person off". That kind of thing.
I am concerned about the effect this has on Mr W, where I'm seem to frequently be complaining about other people's bad driving. And it leaves me a little annoyed to, to have been annoyed, you know? It's ultimately not worth my time and energy.
So I've decided to raise my threshold. I started a couple of days ago, and it's actually pretty challenging to break this habit, so I'm working on it still. Inconsiderate drivers are the worst (don't you realize we're all trying to get somewhere?) but there's not much I can do about them. I'm not about to teach them any kind of lesson, so my best option is to LET IT GO.
Hence raising the threshold. So my goal at the moment is that things that don't impact me directly, like if someone cuts someone else off, or (this one seems to really annoy me) it's the third person in a row to run the red light and the rest of us are waiting to proceed through our green light, I'm going to try to let it go and get on with my day.
Trying to control things I don't have any control over, especially the actions of others, is not a good use of my time. Stay tuned, this one's not accomplished yet.
Oh, Linda. I can SO relate to this. My commute is a daily barrage of construction snarls. By Friday, even Vermonters (known locally as going out of their way to let someone in before them) are stretched. I am trying deep breathing. So far, it only leads to hyperventilating, but I am trying.
ReplyDeleteI tend to be a passive driver, meaning if there is an annoying driving issue that I see, I try to think, "Oh, that person's (mother father son daughter) must be dying and they are trying to get to them ASAP", or something like that. Helps me to see us all as humans. And we all make mistakes, I try to forgive instead of get upset. Patience grasshopper!
ReplyDeleteBack to the old fact that we cannot control any one elses's thoughts or actions . . . only our own. Not only does it not do us any good to get (even mildly) upset at others' behavior, but it HURTS us by sending negative feelings throughout our mental processes and physical bodies. (And that can actually make us physically sick over time.) At least that's the way I've come to believe. Sometimes I feel I'm opting out of reality by playing a game or pretending . . . by "forcing" the good feelings in a situation rather than slipping back into the old negativity. But if it makes MY life better (and therefore those around me), I'm ripe and ready to do it!
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