Beginnings come out of endings - Kindness on the Road

I start this blog from a hard spot in my own life: tomorrow I am going to attend the funeral of my best friend. Christa was a phenomenol person who taught me a lot about life and about being compassionate to others. After seeing the horrid photos on-line of the car that hit her and two others while they were riding on a highway in Oklahoma. Two of them were killed and another was greatly injured. It has gotten me to thinking over the past two days as I have watched people's reactions to the incident. We focus so much of our time against things that we give them too much attention, putting all of our time on the negative parts of things. I choose to act in a different way - focusing on ways that we can add a positive to prevent things like these from happening.
To honor Christa, I am going to begin with kindness on the road. Why do we use our precious present moments as points of anger instead of points of compassion? Reaction seems to rule over action. Taking a second to breathe on the road, consider the situation, and then ACT can make all the difference in the world - it could have for my friend. When you are in the car, and someone cuts you off, what is your first instinct? How do you handle it?
What if there is a cyclist going down the road, and you have to wait just a moment to get over a hill? What do you do? Do you get in the car after having just a drink of alcohol, thinking that you are ok to drive home? Being aware of the present situation that you are in and what you are doing right at that moment can make the difference not only for yourself, but for others around you. Consider this:
You are waiting in a long line at a stoplight, and a person is waiting to pull out from a parking
lot. The traffic behind you is five miles long and you stop for a second, letting them get in line.

There is a group of bikers on the ride in front of you, and you are approaching a busy curve.
Slowing down, you patiently wait until you are around the curve, and then safely pass them.

On the highway, someone is tailing you close, passes you and roars ahead. They also happen
to throw you a not very nice finger for your speed. You look calmly ahead, ignore the gesture,
and let them continue on down the highway.

After a great night out, you realize you've had a little too much to drink. Using your phone or
a public phone you call a cab and get a safe ride home or ask a friend to be the designated
driver before you go.

Each of these instances can happen at any time, anywhere. It's not in who is to blame for what, or who did what when - it comes down to you thinking, and acting (or in some cases choosing not to act). Remember, each person out there is in the same race that you are, trying to get to somewhere. Our choices can make the difference between someone getting home to their family, or never arriving - including ourselves. Driving through town or on the highway is a canvas opportunity to show kindness in a million different ways. If you pay attention when you show a little kindness, you'd be surprised at people's reactions - a friendly wave, a smile, and you never know when that little kindness will come back around to you.
One of our jobs as human beings is to serve others, and to try not to harm if we can help it.
Be kind, be compassionate, and feel the good all around you.
Got2bkind