Alpha Whiskey 4

I've heard it said the way you act on the road reveals your true self. If so, I am in the running for most impatient, smart-mouthed woman out there.

I have a compulsion to see those stick figure families that everyone seems to be placing on their vehicles - secretly wishing that would have been the "in" thing when my family was younger.

I read vanity plates trying to figure out what the combination of letters and numbers stand for and then as I read ordinary license plates I quiz my myself with the NATO phonetic alphabet - you know Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo.. .. .

Angry words tumble through my mind, directed toward slow drivers, reckless drivers, idiot drivers. I mutter epithets and if I start to yell, then heaven help you.

I thought this only applied to road rage. Apparently not.

Right in the middle of my stream of consciousness tirade, a thought struck me.

What if the driver was Grandpa? Or a cousin? Or an old friend?

Would I react the same way? No, I wouldn't. I'd take a deep breath. And let it go.

I'm learning to pause before reacting and trying to extend grace when in doubt. I learned some of this the hard way.

I tend to be a bit self-centered, prone to fatigue, and quite often discouraged. I think I’m doing just fine, being productive and full of energy, when all of the sudden I feel angry and resentful.

Isn’t this the stuff of life? The comfort of the mundane can drive us to insanity. The beauty of a new day can be clouded by a long to-do list.

I am broken. I am needy. I can’t fix myself. I've never claimed to be perfect.

And yet?

I strive to be gracious when I disagree and offer only thoughtful comments instead of adding to the noise out there. But my true self revealed itself on the road that day. I have so much more to learn.

It starts on the road and in my heart.

It starts with me.

Blessings