On my way home today, I got stuck in some traffic.
I don't mind traffic. I listen to my music and it feels satisfying once I get to the end of the traffic.
But there was a guy, an older gentleman, who got stuck behind me.
I think he was mad because he had to merge in behind my car.
On my way home, I have to cross a bridge. It's one lane with a stoplight at the end.
There isn't much room to maneuver.
The guy behind me was mad because the stoplight was red and he was going to turn right, but I couldn't move out of the way for him. There just wasn't any room.
He flipped me off.
I was so stressed by the way he was driving, the way he was acting, and the honking of his horn.
I returned the motion.
Then he started giving more rude hand gestures.
This man must have been my grandfather's age.
I had had such a lovely day before this moment, but now this is all I can think about.
I returned anger for anger and I didn't feel better.
I couldn't, I can't, stop thinking about this moment.
I didn't start to feel better until later on in my drive, I motioned for another car to slide in ahead of me at an intersection.
The woman in the little blue car had apple earbuds in.
She probably won't remember what I did.
But at that moment, I felt something that was hurting in me heal a little bit.
Anger felt like the right emotion, the right action, at the time, but it hurt more than it helped.
Anger feels right, but it isn't right.
We have to move past the anger, to leave it behind, and to show kindness to the next person.
