Joy to the World

I witnessed an odd exchange the other day as I was driving around town.  One driver got very angry at another for cutting in front of him. This man rolled down his window, leaned half way out  and let out a slew of curse words directed at the car in front of him.  It was a bit unsettling but oddly funny.  It reminded me of...well of me once upon a time.


There was a day when I would get so angry anytime someone got too close to the rear of my car; what I thought was too close i should say.  Stomping on the brakes real fast, I put the fear of God in that reckless driver!  How dare they infringe on my space!  If some one whipped in front of me and made me step on the brakes,  I would give them the biggest one finger salute in the state of Texas.  I would cuss out a nun if I thought she wasn't driving the way I thought she should. If I had a ruler I would have probably tossed it at her as I said every cuss word known to man.


But one December day it all change for me.  It was several years back, I was on my way to work and I had a Christmas cd on playing "Joy to the World".  There I was driving down the road singing so loud and so proud you would have thought I was Whitney Houston (OK, maybe not), just feeling the love and Christmas spirit all around me when outta nowhere some woman cuts right in front of me.  With out skipping a beat, or lyric, I flipped that lady off. 


It was at that very moment I knew how ridiculous I looked and how hypocritical I was.  Since that day I have never gotten to the point where I needed to cuss someone out or wave the finger in their face for their reckless, crazy driving.   Don't get me wrong, I still get frustrated at times while driving.  Let's face it, no one drives as well as I do. But now I just don't let the anger drive me to react that way anymore.