so this morning, i was, as usual, in a hurry getting to work. along the way, a black SUV was on the left lane driving 35, maybe 40, on a 45, agitating me to no end. so as soon as i saw an opening, i switched to the right lane and slammed on the gas.
when i got over, i saw a school bus in front of me with lights flashing and about to stop. dreading the thought of getting stuck behind the SUV again, i kept going and cut in front of the SUV while missing the bus by a few yards... and then i saw (duh) the stop sign on the bus.
i tried to apply the brake, but i was going a tad too fast (55-60) to completely halt at the stop sign. so without really giving it a second thought (not like i had any other options, right?), i decided to just keep going and forget it.
a few minutes later, i saw in my rear view mirror a different blue SUV pulling up right next to me as both of us were slowing down at a red light. he had his window down and honked at me. i figured he needed to switch lanes so i gave him some space before the light so he can switch over, but that wasn't it...
he turned his head, looked at me, and said, "we stop at stop signs around here," then drove past me as the light turned green.
i was speechless as i simply stared back at his car, with a blank look on my face. i didn't know what to say. i admit i somewhat felt bad right after i ran the stop sign, but at that moment, it was complete guilt. he was right. there was no reason or excuse to justify what i did. the bus had its stop sign up while the kids were getting on it, and there would've been serious consequences due to my reckless actions.
as i recall that specific moment, the person in the blue SUV is a white man in his 30s, most likely a parent himself. so he knows what it feels like to raise a child. he knows actions like mine could one day affect his kid. he knows how it feels to worry about things out of his control on a daily basis.
i felt terrible the rest of the way to work as i incessantly replayed what he said to me in my head. my stomach sank and my mind went blank. i was engulfed in guilt, something i haven't felt in a very long time. i tried to cheer up myself, keep my mind off of it, or even belittle the whole experience... i couldn't do it.
lesson learned.
when i got over, i saw a school bus in front of me with lights flashing and about to stop. dreading the thought of getting stuck behind the SUV again, i kept going and cut in front of the SUV while missing the bus by a few yards... and then i saw (duh) the stop sign on the bus.
i tried to apply the brake, but i was going a tad too fast (55-60) to completely halt at the stop sign. so without really giving it a second thought (not like i had any other options, right?), i decided to just keep going and forget it.
a few minutes later, i saw in my rear view mirror a different blue SUV pulling up right next to me as both of us were slowing down at a red light. he had his window down and honked at me. i figured he needed to switch lanes so i gave him some space before the light so he can switch over, but that wasn't it...
he turned his head, looked at me, and said, "we stop at stop signs around here," then drove past me as the light turned green.
i was speechless as i simply stared back at his car, with a blank look on my face. i didn't know what to say. i admit i somewhat felt bad right after i ran the stop sign, but at that moment, it was complete guilt. he was right. there was no reason or excuse to justify what i did. the bus had its stop sign up while the kids were getting on it, and there would've been serious consequences due to my reckless actions.
as i recall that specific moment, the person in the blue SUV is a white man in his 30s, most likely a parent himself. so he knows what it feels like to raise a child. he knows actions like mine could one day affect his kid. he knows how it feels to worry about things out of his control on a daily basis.
i felt terrible the rest of the way to work as i incessantly replayed what he said to me in my head. my stomach sank and my mind went blank. i was engulfed in guilt, something i haven't felt in a very long time. i tried to cheer up myself, keep my mind off of it, or even belittle the whole experience... i couldn't do it.
lesson learned.
posted by acedude at 7:44 AM
