Tag: drivers

Manners

Jennifred Jones

‘Who are you to talk to me about manners?? I’ll do what I want!’

‘That’s old-fashioned malarky! Times have changed! We’re progressive! Anyway, who cares? I’m free. It’ my life, my space, my place, and I know I’m right anyway!’

So, we push, and we shove, and we ignore, overlook, disrespect, step on and drive over anybody in our path. And don’t we like it when others do unto us as we have done unto them??

That’s why manners came about. So people like us in our hurry and thoughtlessness don’t ignore, overlook, disrespect, step on and drive over those who don’t cooperate according to our schedule.

Let’s take a look at the last 24 hours – the last 2 hours…where could we have been a bit better person to another person? We’re all in life together. We’ve all got family, job, career, neighbors, other drivers, clerks, even ourselves trying to get stuff done.

Maybe if we each just pause before we say and do, or think that mean thought…where are my manners? Do I hope to be treated like I’m about to treat them?

And our kids are watching…

We all in our heart of hearts want to become better people.

Let’s not disappoint ourselves.

What I Saw Today

Jennifred Jones

Today I saw people doing many good things.

  • People donating to the Goodwill
  • Moms with kids at the farmer’s market
  • High School students running for track 
  • Two happy college girls working at Crew carwash
  • A state trooper detailing his car after his car wash
  • People outside sharing ice-cream together
  • A young lady gathering up trash at her workplace
  • A driver letting another ahead of him in his lane
  • People going to the ‘Y’ to work out

None of the above will make the news, but they are ordinary everyday good that everyone is doing.

Let’s look  today expecting to see good, to notice other people doing good.

Let’s let these images dominate in our minds.

Let’s let good permeate our day.

What’s the first good thing I see today?

The Driving Game

Jennifred Jones

Driving has become a contest…us …against other drivers.  It’s an ugly contest.

We’re driving to town and enter the 4-lane area and immediately have to get around the person in front, speeding up and cutting them off, so they understand the imposition they have been by their thoughtless slow driving (probably they were doing the speed limit).

We are approaching an exit or lane merge and pull into that lane and then forbid anyone else from ‘cutting’ in front of us. ‘Don’t even think about it, I was here first; you’re on your own buddy! I had to wait my turn and I’m going to make sure you wait yours.’

The light is yellow, on the verge of red and we speed up to make the turn, or just flat out run the red light…who cares? ‘I waited long enough; I deserve to get through this light even if you have to wait.’

‘How dare you pull out in front of me (even though I was a quarter of a mile back and you had plenty of time)…just for that I’m going to ride on your tail and stay there to teach you a lesson!’

This is horrible! Yet we encounter these drivers each day. Some of them are us, and some of them are the others.

Accidents, pile-ups, and debris all along the way, because somebody wasn’t thinking.

What if we looked at the whole network of drivers and cars on the roads a different way? What if we all saw ourselves as members of a team with the goal to help each one get to where they’re going?

Currently  it’s high football tide and every person on the team is pulling together with a single directive of helping each player do their best, shielding them when necessary, clearing the way, letting them through.

What if we stopped seeing other drivers as a potential threat to our maneuverability?

What if…we saw other drivers as people going to work (yes, some  should have left a few minutes earlier)… saw them as a fellow parent trying to take the kids to school or the daycare… saw them as a concerned relative rushing to the hospital… saw them as someone who just left after a family fued.

What if we saw them as ‘us’ and decided to help them get to their destination.

So we… decide to let them go in front of us…decide to pull back so they can make the turn… decide to smile and give them some distance…. decide to do everything we can as a good courteous driver so they can reach their destination safely.

What if we ‘befriended’ fellow drivers causing them to befriend their fellow drivers- continually paying it forward until instead of a 50 car pile-up, we have an avalanche of goodwill on display in our roadways.

What if…?

Could it start with me?