Is everyone really THAT excited to get to work?

My morning commute is tops, 10 minutes. I’d like to say they’re a relaxing 10 minutes that get my day started off on the right foot, but that hasn’t always been the case. I have managed to take better control of the situation though, and try to use my commute to my advantage. I listen to calming Zen music every morning which tends to declutter my mind; the sound of waterfalls and birds chirping do, for the most part, help drown out the maniacs on the road. When things were really out of control, I was cranking Jazz music like crazy. At one point, we used our commute to discuss books we were reading- our version of a mini book club.

Why are people in such a hurry to get to work or wherever it is they’re going? Do people just not have an off button anymore? I don’t know if this is just a trend in the city I live in, but I’ve noticed that the “in” thing to do is not stop. For example, if I’m about to turn into my workplace and begin to slow down, rather than the person behind me also slowing down, they’ll just cut someone off in the other lane, and switch lanes – no need to stop. I see this happen all the time. If you see a signal on a car, quick, cut someone else off so you don’t to have to waste so much of your precious time stopping for another person. Some of these people almost seem even mad that I’m turning. How dare I turn! You know who I’m talking about…the person who does that quick jerk-like move of their car into the other lane simply because you’ve forced them to slow down for a few seconds.  Are we really at a place in time where we get personally offended by someone who might slow us down for a mere few seconds?

Here’s proof that driving like an impatient maniac gets you nowhere faster. On the way home from my sister’s work, a man driving like he was on a mission, caught our attention. At the first red light, he was behind us. Then,  he abruptly did the switcharoo into the other lane, and took off like a bat out of hell. We continued to drive along until…we met the same car again at the next red light. Oh, it’s you. Hi! Green light – poof! He’s outta there. My sister and I were chatting, having a pleasant drive and conversation, but, we couldn’t help but notice the same guy speeding up ahead, changing lanes every three seconds, cutting people off left and right. Eventually, we lost sight of him until…the next red light. No way! It’s you?  Again? This happened at every light along the way, so much so, that my sister and I began laughing about it. We pictured him in his car, sweating up a storm, anxious and in a rush, mad at all of the drivers on the road, probably cursing up a storm while we were all relaxed and calm in ours, having a wonderful conversation and quite a few laughs….at his expense. Even when we lost sight of his car for a while, he would, eventually, turn up again. We met this car all the way up until we had to turn to get off that road.

I’m sure that man thought he was a real master of his domain, that his driving skills would allow him to get to his destination a whole lot faster than the rest of us. Did they? Nope. And I guarantee you, we had a much more pleasurable experience on the road in our car, than he did in his. So I ask, what’s the point? Why in such a hurry? Slow down. Enjoy the drive. Enjoy the scenery. Enjoy the company of the person who’s with you. Enjoy your own company. Use your commuting time as  your time. Listen to your favourite music or audio book. Maybe by doing so, we’ll inadvertently bring back a little common courtesy to our fellow drivers.

Happy travels!

~Carolyn