Last Sunday I was driving to get my friend Julie to go hiking. I'd just arrived in Los Angeles the day before after being in three weeks of below freezing weather in North Carolina. I was so happy to be in the southern California weather, thawing out.
So, I'm driving up La Brea avenue toward the fabulous, sunny, clean and sparkly hollywood hills. It had just rained here like crazy for a week--and the sunlight was dancing all over everything. I'm sitting at a stop light, in a sort of blissful daze, when someone behind me honks his horn. The light had turned green, and I had failed to see that. In LA, there is no time lag at the light, you should have one foot on the gas pedal and the other foot on the brake at the same time so that the instant that light changes, you shoot off that limit line like a thoroughbred charging out of the gate at Hollywood Park.
At the next intersection and another red light, the guy who was behind me and honked, pulled up next to me and started going off on me; "What are you doing? Are you texting, talking on the phone? What are you doing? You're supposed to be driving!"
Whoa, dude. Calm down. The pace is getting to you big time--this is what I was thinking. Yikes.
I just looked at him and calmly said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just noticing how beautiful it is today and enjoying the sun, and I didn't see the light change. It's Sunday, it's gorgeous and it's so easy to get caught up in the insanity rather than enjoy what's here. I'm sorry."
His jaw dropped. I think he was expecting a duel or something. His face totally changed. He looked awestruck. I suppose I could have gone off on him right back and then we would have both been in misery, at least for some minutes. But, I didn't do that, I chose to diffuse the energy and turn it toward what I was feeling, which was gratitude for where I was in the moment.
He looked at me, face totally relaxed, and said, "Oh. Well. You've got it right. You've got it right." I just smiled, and the light turned green.
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