I was in an accident today...the first in my nearly 40 year existence. It was minor as accidents go. I nearly avoided it, but not quite. I was driving straight, the other driver coming onto the street via a curve with a yield sign. He didn't see me, so he didn't yield. I saw that he wasn't yielding so I changed lanes and got as close to the median as I could; I laid on my horn when I realized he was continuing on into my lane; I yelled in frustration as I heard the crunch. I was ticked off. No, I was angry. Our vehicle is less than three years old and we've already had two major hail claims, the last of which has yet to be fixed because the body shop has been putting us off month after month after month. This makes three major incidents. Anything like this means more inconvenience, especially since we are a single car family. I had a few choice words to say as I pulled into a parking spot nearby (don't ask my son about that, he'll probably repeat it). Honestly, I was ready to give the guy a piece of my mind. As I watched in my rear view mirror, he pulled into the parking spot behind me. I looked. I looked again. I couldn't believe it was actually someone I knew - an older gentleman whom I've interacted with briefly on a number of occasions. Instantly I felt bad. It was an accident. He hadn't seen me. All my anger melted away. I greeted him kindly. We exchanged few words (it was 18 degrees below zero), then sat in our respective vehicles to wait for the police officer to arrive and write his report. I busied myself with talking to my son and sending a few text messages. When I arrived home, I phoned the man's wife and told her they should not feel bad. It was an accident. Accidents happen. I was genuinely gracious.
Not until this afternoon did I remember how angry I had been, and how ready I had been to tell the offending driver just what I thought of him. I was hit by the hypocrisy of my attitude. Does a stranger not need my grace and kindness as much as an acquaintance? Was my anger justified because it would have been relatively anonymous? Did I only change my attitude to save face? Was my first reaction really the reaction of my heart? Gulp. How often do I show that side of myself when I don't think anyone is looking, or when it's "only" my children or family? May I see this as a fortuitous lesson to show grace and kindness to those around me always, no matter who they are.
1 comment:
If it makes you feel better, I had two accidents last month. One was my fault with no damage to my old car, and one was not my fault with damage to my newer car. Go figure.
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