Contrast

Sunday evening, I was driving to visit my friend, Jen, who is about two weeks before her due date. She's one of the most beautiful, awesome, fabulous people I know. Her daughter and Nathan are just six months apart. And her family only lives two miles from us...

Anyway ... short story. I'm driving to see Jen and give her a baby gift. I've taken to praying a lot while I drive because one day, I said something really awful and Nathan repeated it. (And I mean, REALLY awful.) So, I'm praying and listening to praise music while I'm driving. This car pulled up next to me and I kid you not, every other word in this song was Mother-#$!!*&*&!

I was listening to music to bring me closer to God and grant me some peace in traffic - a huge struggle for me. What was this guy's music speaking into him?

It's True.

This morning, I was stopped at a stop light. The car behind me was stopped too. But for some reason, the car got rear-ended. It's true! I know! I'm certain this time that I had nothing to do with it. While I felt a little culpability the previous two times (even though they weren't my fault!), this had nothing to do with me. I was simply there.

In Which I Re-Evaluate My Driving

*EDIT* I really should add that during #1, I didn't stop suddenly - at all. I slowed into a stop. #2 --- I stopped rather suddenly, but seriously, I didn't want to hit that guy. This was also on a street that has a stop sign nearly every block. I'm not sure why anyone would either follow that closely, or drive too fast to stop.

I admit it. I used to be Ms. Lead-Foot. I got three speeding tickets in a year when I lived down in Memphis. With my current job, it's probably pretty important that I don't get a ticket... and also, I think The Targo would KILL ME if our car insurance went up. So, I'm a reformed speeder. Like most people who are reformed, I'm a total jerk about current speeders. But that doesn't excuse what's happened to me in the past month.

Incident #1 --- about 3-4 weeks ago. Nathan and I were driving home from work. We were in Chicago, just about 4 blocks from home, when I had the audacity to stop at a red light. I should mention that I was in the left turn lane, a lane that has an arrow, so I didn't feel the obligation to run a red light. The people behind me, apparently, disagreed with me and my perfectly legal decision to stop. The car right behind me stopped just before it hit me. And the car behind him didn't stop. So, yeah... rear-ender right behind me. Was it my fault for stopping at a red light?

Incident #2 --- just this morning. Nathan and I were driving to work. Were only about 6 blocks from home when a pedestrian decided to cross the street at a crosswalk. I stopped, rather than hit him, which was the legal and moral decision. The car behind me stopped just before it hit me. The car behind him did not stop. Again, did I cause a traffic accident? I think so. But was it my fault? I don't know.

What say you, Interwebs, in all of your wisdom? Are you now afraid to drive behind me because I follow the traffic laws?