Thought on a New Year's Day morning

A friend of mine had a "vehicular incident" a few years back and had to take a court-mandated refresher/defensive driving course as a result.

At the first class, the teacher said, "Don't let someone else drive your car."

He was not talking about refusing to let someone borrow your car. His point was that you ought not let other drivers force you to speed or otherwise drive recklessly by tailgating or by other reckless behavior of their own. For example, keeping up with traffic, even in a school zone -- which is what got my friend in his trouble when he hit a crossing guard because he couldn't stop in time when the guard stepped off the sidewalk in front of him.

How often have I looked down while on the freeway to discover that I am more than ten miles over the posted speed limit, even though I am driving at the same pace as those around me? How often have I become angry at an aggressive driver and responded by driving aggressively myself? How often have I let one driver's two-second mistake lead me into a half hour of distracted driving while I stew?

The more I thought about the teacher’s remark, the more I realized how applicable it is to non-driving situations.

On another blog, someone commented that while he was celebrating the New Year on his patio, a neighbor shouted a homophobic slur at him. He was tempted to go confront the guy but instead decided to enjoy his New Year in spite of him.

I don't have to let someone else drive my car. I don't have to let someone else grab the pen when I am writing the story of my life. I don't have to let someone else decide what kind of day I will have.

It's more fun to do it myself!