That Person

So this weekend I realized that I am that person. You know, the one you get frustrated with at the store because they are completely oblivious to everything around you. The one that is driving down the road in front of you, going a steady 5 miles under the speed limit. The one you are walking behind when all the sudden they just stop in the middle of the pedestrian traffic. The one that cuts you off and crosses 2 lanes of traffic to take an exit they already practically missed. Maybe it's the one who merges into your lane after going straight to light and "didn't realize it was a turn only lane". The one that really makes you angry when you're in a hurry, have something to do or somewhere to be.

I am that person.

Last week I was driving and the woman in front of me was driving at the most steady pace (and below the speed limit between 5-10 miles per hour). I was on my way home and for whatever reason I really wanted to be there. I certainly wasn't going to be late for anything if I didn't get there in the next 2 minutes. Besides, this place is not big so it wasn't like I was in the car for a long time or had very far to go. For some reason I was super frustrated by the fact that she wasn't driving any faster. Maybe it was just that I didn't like that she was controlling my speed and what I was doing. On the one lane road there was no way to go around her and there was no other way to go to my house from where I was except this one road I was on. When another lane opened up and she veered left and I was going right it was a huge relief and I'm sure there was even a vocal "Finally! Thank goodness. Geez." or something to that effect.

This past weekend I found myself driving down the same exact road. It was late in the evening and I was tired. It had been a long weekend and I was just kind of dazed. I had a lot on my mind and there was a lot kind of weighing on me. I happened to look down and realize that I was going a steady 5 miles below the speed limit. I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed there were a few cars behind me. The car directly behind wasn't riding my tail or anything like that (obviously much more patient than I am). It was at this moment that I realized it.

I am that person.

In our moments, we are all guilty of being that person. It kind of reminded me of the whole behavioral determinant thing (see earlier post titled "Retrospective Blog #1). Now in the same vein of that thought, instead of just thinking about what a person may be going through, imagine that you are that person and how you would like for other people to react to you. Would you like to see the failing arms in your rear view mirror? What about the huge sigh and eye roll as someone pushes past you? How about the horn and dirty look? Probably not. But you know what? There are some times when you do *almost* miss your exit and have to cross a few more lanes of traffic than what is legal (maybe you're on your way to the temple and running late...anyone remember that?). It may happen that you are in a new city and you really didn't know it was a turn only lane (or one way street...oops).

Anyway, the point of the story is that I realized that I am that person. Everyone is that person. Be more patient...you are dealing with yourself and trust me, that's the worst.