1. Last week: It's an odd town in which, when you pointedly let someone go (even when they're being a dumba$$) that they don't wave thank you. 
2. Today, 5:30: You don’t even want to know what curses I said to the Saab going 50 mph on the Merritt.
3. Today, 6:24: In the white Taurus in front of me, a man, rather than being focused on driving from point A to point B as fast as he can, is talking to his 12 year old daughter. I can tell, because he’s glancing over at her leisurely as I grip the wheel and watch the conversation.
I feel myself getting angry, but I quickly calm myself by employing one of my most reliable strategies: I imagine that the person in front of me is someone I know. If that were my dad talking to my sis, I wouldn’t want some b*!$(% behind them thinking mean things.
4. Today, 6:26, at a stoplight. The white Taurus has a little sticker on the back window that I can’t quite read. Wouldn’t it be so cool if we all plastered stickers on our cars? We spend so much time in these metal capsules; it’s such wasted space! It would be fun to show off who we are... but we want to be anonymous, right? I don’t really want to know what the person in front of me thinks; that would be overwhelming. Still, I’d like to see some pretty, decorated cars. That seems like it might be illegal though because it would be distracting.
5. I adore this time alone driving. All this time to think.
6. 6:28, I whip around the Taurus once we get into a 2-lane road, but I don’t think mean things while I do it.
Oh! Sometimes I also imagine that the slow driver has been working the night shift and is really tired so they're having trouble staying awake while they are driving. You never know what other people are going through. I try to employ empathy while I am making my way across Stamford and its numerous stoplights. I try.
Does anyone have any other good strategies for dealing with traffic/other drivers?
Related Stamford Talk Post:
--Dec: Bad Drivers: Don't Get Personalized Plates
--October 17: A Vow Against Road Rage
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Thoughts on Driving in Stamford
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Ah, yes. The joys of driving in Stamford,or even all of Fairfield County for that matter. The further north you go the worse it gets!
Hubby and I always comment on those driving around us and concur: "get the gun" or "I hate people" Nice right?
I hate driving in Stamford! between the people who run you down, cut you off to stop at the next stop light, go out of the way to block your way out of a street while waiting in line for another stop light and generally being rude and unfriendly it is a hard place to keep your cool. Slow drivers and the ones who like to stick to your rear end both represent hazards and can exist simultaneously in the same vehicle.
It is shocking to me the lack of basic politeness that the CT driver lacks. Growing up in central NY, if someone yielded for you, then you acknowledged their action with a wave of your hand, saying, I appreciate you letting me into the traffic.
I used to let people in front of me, and then would sit there dumbfounded as they just drove on, without even as much as a glance, a nod of their hand or a positive hand gesture acknowledging that I did them a favor. Amazing
Post a Comment