Two incidents happened over the past few years since I've been away from the forums. Both required to suck it up and move on, which is exactly what needed to be done, no matter how "wronged" we were.
ONE
Husband was driving, I was passenger. I wanted to go to TJ Maxx, and we were driving on front of the strip mall stores, slowing down for the speed bumps on front of them. There was a car behind us, and when we slowed down to roll over a bump (we were in a 4x4 Toyota Tacoma at the time, so it wasn't like we were aggravatingly slow), I guess he decided we were too slow and started to pass around us. My husband doesn't notice it right away; he's looking at the road ahead. So the car starts to make his move, but at this point we've rolled over the bump and my husband has started to accelerate again. So now the impatient guy who tried to pass us thinks we deliberately cut him off. He and his passengers start shouting and making gestures at us, gun it up behind us and make a general show of themselves.
Instead of proceeding ahead to the TJ Maxx parking lot, I say it's time to leave, and my husband turns down the nearest lane and starts to make our way out of the lot. Meanwhile, Mr. Impatient has parked, all three people pile out, and the driver is shouting at us with his hands up in his best thug imitation. His two groupies are being proud that their man is a big stand up man, showing us who's boss.
He has no idea how the turn of events could have been had we also been bad people with easily bruised egos. So I'm sure he feels quite pleased with himself. Like, whatever.
TWO
At the mall of all places. My husband is a big guy. I'm 5 4" 120 pounds soaking wet, and he's around 6', 230. We're holding hands, and ahead of us is a youth of indeterminate age who is not wearing the correct size pants, and he is completely engrossed in his cell phone. He is not looking where he is going. Which was fine, until he changed directions at the last minute like a wayward pigeon, and headed straight for my shoulder. I had a giant immovable wall of husband on one side, which left me two choices: allow myself to be turned into a ping-pong ball, or brace for impact. I chose the latter, and the pigeon bounced off my shoulder, which immediately winged his ego. He finished spinning around, put both his arms up (maybe he was one of the offspring of the guy in the first story?) called me the b-word as loud as he could, and continued to cuss me out on front of all the patrons. He actually asked if I wanted to fight him. :scratchchin:
I turned into the nearest store and put the nearest rack of clothes in between me and him if he decided to follow. I looked out the glass store window, and his attention was already back on his cellphone.
This type of person who escalates simple situations into something that could be potentially deadly are everywhere. Had we chosen to park at TJ Maxx or had I turned around and told him to look where he was going, they would not have acknowledged their errors. This type of easily bruised ego doesn't back down.
Always be the better person.
