I am ashamed to admit that the last few years, I have become an impatient person. I had my eyes opened yesterday and can say that this impatience will hopefully disipate because of what happened. Let me explain.
I was in my vehicle trying to make a left hand turn into the Sunnybrook Plaza at Bayview and Eglinton. If you know this plaza, you will know that it is extremely busy and you play chicken with your life as you turn into it. Cars really zip westbound along Eglinton. Consequently, it is often a long wait to turn in.
I have had some distressing troubles the past few weeks so while waiting for westbound cars to clear, I missed a 20 second opportunity to turn into the plaza, with a few waiting cars behind me. A fellow in a pick up truck started beeping and screaming at me from outside his window-it's quite obvious he wasn't having a great day and neither was I. I had lost my wallet in the same plaza and was going to look for it (good luck!) Anyway, I didn't say anything, turned into the parking lot and parked. This guy zipped up beside me as I was exiting my car and started screaming. It was my final breaking point....okay, so I started crying. He was so alarmed by this behaviour that he got out of his vehicle (not yet parked) and apologized.
I guess I'm telling you this story because I think of how often I have sighed behind someone in a line up at a grocery store as they were fumbling for change, or I've been mad about a car that misses a turn and I'm stuck in an intersection dodging vehicles or just in the rush of life, I've snapped at someone that perhaps was having their own bad day.
Until we walk in someone else's shoes, we don't know what is going on in their life that may make them a little more distracted than usual. I hope this incident makes me a little more tolerant, a little more patient and just a little kinder.....
Cheryl Bower
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