Dear Readers,
I just wanted to get an ice cream cone. During the summer, I love going to different places and try out their ice cream. I will go to any soft serve place just for a small vanilla ice cream cone.
I remember as a child in Brooklyn, NY listening for the Mr. Softee truck to come around the corner with it’s melodic chimes calling all of the “soft ice cream cone” zombies to emerge from their homes. Mr. Softee always seemed to come after dinner and before the normal desert hour.
I remember being on my tippee toes watching the ice cream come out of the machine. I was always amazed. That is my favorite part about of getting a soft serve ice cream cone. I even looked into buying a ice cream machine once but I figured that I would be making cones all day for the kids in my neighborhood after mixing up one batch.
So when I am happy or if I just have had a great day, I go get a small soft serve vanilla ice cream cone.
I decided to reward myself on this particular day. I should have gone into the establishment but I saw a high end luxury vehicle sitting somewhat in the line but just sitting. There were two small cars that went right around the woman. I peered into her car. She was reading something and seemed to be otherwise occupied. I figured I would go around too.
Well, she noticed my great big GM Yukon traveling around her high end luxury vehicle. As I parked behind the second person that passed her, I saw her get out of her car. She came up to my car window and ask me if I saw her sitting there.
I told her very nicely that I did see her but I thought she was stalled, reading, engaged in taking orders or what have you. I wanted to ask her did she see the other two cars that went in front of her. However, I apologized and told her to go ahead in front of me and that it wasn’t a big deal. The interesting part was that I was on a telephone call with someone transacting business. I was smiling the whole entire time because I could not understand why anyone would be so upset at such a small mistake. She starting mumbling something and got back in her car. I noticed that she was had a young person in the car who looked petrified.
I could not hear her but as she sped around me, I could tell she was upset. I wondered what it was like for him to be in the car with her. She could have just let it go as the mistake it was. All I wanted was a small vanilla soft serve ice cream cone before I went to Letts Community Center which was right down the Boulevard.
She made her order. By the time she picked up her meal, my lovely small vanilla soft serve ice cream cone was waiting for me. I had a flash back to sitting in my father’s old 70’s Dodge Polara eating ice cream. At the first light I came to in front of me was the woman in the high end luxury vehicle. I guess she thought I was following her, so when I passed her she got behind me. I was making a left hand turn so her idle pursuit lasted no longer than 50 seconds.
I thought to myself is this a new road rage. Her aggressive driving and behavior was unnecessary. I again thought about how her anger towards me was not doing me as much harm as the young man in the seat beside her. I can see how things get out of control. The little boy kept turning to look at me as if he were trying to gage my emotions. I kept smiling and eating small vanilla soft serve ice cream cone because I wanted him to see that I was not going to react negatively.
I thought it was ridiculous. I felt sorry for the both of them. I hope that I see her again some place, I would definitely offer her a small vanilla soft serve ice cream cone and give her a hug. My “Mommy Mode” would kick in.
Road rage is not a mature response to an action. It is so much easier to let it go and behave calmly. But philosopher Epictetus summed up the whole situation with his quote, “Men are disturbed, not by the things that happen, but by their opinion of the things that happen.”
Road rage is dangerous too. Next time you want to get upset because the person did not move fast enough, think about the fact they may have just discovered their breaks are bad or be looking for a landmark they may have passed.
After my experience, I pay attention to people driving and there are a lot of angry people out there… Be careful and if you are feeling angry at all get small vanilla soft serve ice cream cone for you or your little people.
Sincerely,
Rina Risper
Log on to www.tncp.net , sign up on my Facebook page “Rina Risper for City Council” or check out
www.electrinarisper.com. The City Council race is going superb. Like with anything it is a lot of work but I am moving along. Thank you for your well wishes.
On another note, we will be setting “Vote for Rina Risper” signs out. I come from the school that ‘theft is theft’ so please help me watch over them. I plan on requesting prosecution. It is simple, you can’t steal a pack of gum from the store and get away with it. Theft and trespassing are a crime.
