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| Photo credit: epSos.de / Foter.com / CC BY |
Today, I am much more relaxed. I know my situation is temporary and there will come a day when I will wish for this extra time back...But for now, I’m
learning to be content in my current situation.
By being more relaxed, I have become even more sensitive to the stress-filled world of today. All you have to do is get
in your car and drive somewhere. Stress-filled people are everywhere! The moment you pull out of your driveway and enter into traffic it’s only a matter of time
until you witness one of them...Someone weaving in and out of traffic just to get one car ahead so they can make it to their destination, maybe a few seconds or minutes sooner, with the possibility of causing an accident…Or you get to experience the fun of tailgating! (and I
don’t mean the kind of tailgating you do before a game ;).
We are one stressed out society, and it’s only going to get worse unless we start doing something about it. I wonder how many of us would have been able to endure living in the days of
horse-drawn buggies and carriages? Hmmm…Just take a moment and think about that...
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| Photo credit: Powerhouse Museum Collection / Foter.com |
Just this morning I had a lady, who looked to be in her 50’s, riding on my bumper for a few miles until she sped around me only to make
it to the red light just a few seconds ahead of me. Needless to say, for some
reason, this morning it really got to me again. So, here I am blogging about it :)
One of the benefits of not having a
job that I have to be at is I don’t have the sense of urgency to get to work at a
specific time, or to hurry home once I leave work. During this time, I’ve become
less stressed, but don’t get me wrong, I still have stress…So, one day while I was driving, I
decided I needed to find ways to enjoy my time in the car and not let the other stressed-out drivers
bother me (and for the most part, it’s working ;)…But when it doesn’t work, and I
start to lose my inner peace, then what? I will admit we all have our limits.
So, what can we do
when we are out in this stress-filled traffic?
Six Ways to Keep Your PEACE:
- If the passing lane is open and the person behind me chooses not to pass and continues to ride my bumper, I will move over into the passing lane and let them pass on my right. Let me tell you, when I do this, initially the car behind me tends to back off and slow down, I’m sure they are wondering why I moved over (as unfortunately some road rage has turned into unnecessary violence – I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories). Eventually they pass and I move back into the right lane and proceed to my destination much less affected...And I’m sure they got the hint.
- Give yourself enough time to get ready before you have to
leave for work or wherever you have to be. Don’t lie in bed hitting the snooze button until
you know you have to jump out of bed and hurry to get ready. This will only cause you to rush out of your house already feeling anxious and stressed out because you
might be late. Not only will you have a more peaceful drive, the strangers you
encounter on the road will thank you for it too! And really, what did that extra 5 or 10 minutes get you?
- Pray for the person who appears to be stressed out as shown by the way they are driving. Prayer is effective,
even if we will never see the end result in their situation.
- Listen to Christian music or educational Cd's and when someone approaches too closely, worship and praise God even more! Remember, the enemy is trying to steal your peace and get you upset, and will do it in whatever way possible.
- If you are already going 5 miles over the speed limit, slow down and go the speed limit. At times, I have done this to show the person that I do not appreciate being tailgated, what they are doing is ineffective, and I will not allow them to intimidate me. Tailgating is not only frustrating, it is very unsafe! If you are the car in front of them and have to stop quickly, they will end up right in your bumper! I’ve been rear-ended in the past at a roundabout and it is not fun. When I had to yield to oncoming traffic, they just kept driving, right into me! This has made me much more aware and cautious of tailgaters.
- If you can’t move over into the other lane because traffic is heavy, just continue to drive your normal speed and find some way to remain in peace. There are times I avoid looking in my rear view mirror as much as possible as I know it will only cause me more stress. I state to myself the facts of the situation, such as, “I can’t go any faster, there are cars to the left of me and in front of me."
Remember, their actions are not about you. You just happen to
be the one in front of them.
CHER-Life and live WELL \o/
Cheryll
CHER-Life and live WELL \o/
Cheryll