Tough Love

Um, so I had no idea what to suggest for a topic this time, so I grabbed one at random. However, the weather outside (rainy, cold, yucky) suggests the potential for road rage. If I were in Wes's car with him tonight on the way to Moultrie, I'm sure I'd see several instances of road hissy fits. Okay, so hissy fit is too wimpy of a term, but road rage is too strong. Wes doesn't pitch a fit; he educates other drivers.

I teach in the classroom; the whole road is Wes's classroom. Someone drives too slowly in the wrong lane--he shows them how frustrating that is by staying right behind them, encouraging them to move over. He illustrates the error of their ways, I guess you could call it tough love if you ignore the "love" part.

A person who pulls in front of him will also get the pleasure of Wes's Xterra panting against his bumper. I just close my eyes and pretend to be elsewhere, a strategy Wes encourages by patting my notebook and saying, "Don't you have some writing to do?" His other favorite line? "Don't you have some papers to grade?" If I'm watching, I try to encourage him to back off, and he encourages the other car to speed up, leaving us with way too many teachers and no students--not a fun situation.

People outside the window behind me startle me. Their laughter surprises me. I wonder if they're reading my words on the screen. Surely not. How interesting can it be?

I like the music here at Hildegard's. This song especially would soothe someone inclined to rage, at least I think it would. Since I don't overflow with rage much, I don't know what such a person would find soothing. Maybe such a person can't be soothed. And maybe I'm fooling myself that I don't get that angry. A few people can certainly set me off.

What angers me?

• people who don't take responsibility for their actions
• people who don't see themselves clearly
• anyone who drives badly around me
• people who drive in rainy or dark weather without lights
• people who don't signal for turns
• people who shout into cellphones in a crowded restaurant
• people who don't turn off their cellphone ringers in theatres or classrooms
• people who don't prepare their bank deposits or whatever before they reach the teller

Basically, then, inconsiderate people annoy me, prompting quick bursts of anger that dissipate soon. I'm not a Southern belle who understands much about etiquette, but I understand the value of putting others before one's self. I also understand that sometimes I have to put myself before others, but not always, not regularly.

Um, where did the philosophical turn happen? I wanted a fun, lighthearted topic. What can that be? I guess using "rage" as part of the topic was not a good idea.

I wonder what other kinds of rages exist or could exist:

• Makeup rage: the beauty queen who is sick of people who can't be bothered to find a decent hairstyle
• Mother rage: the mom who doesn't understand that her screaming child isn't adored by everyone
• Mother rage: the mom who is sick of having another pop psychologist suggest that the previous generation of experts incorrectly concluded that time out was a good idea and that she's a bad mother, who is tired of everyone blaming parents for everything
• Smoker rage: the smoker who is sick of being banquished further and further from friends
• Coffee rage: the regular Joe (ha ha) who just wants a .59 cup of coffee and is bewildered by all the choices at the cafe

I guess I'm running out of ideas, but I think that could be a cool idea for a topic. What kind of rage should we name next? What does it consist of? Who is liable to suffer from it? What's the cure?

I lean forward to sip more coffee. My fingers slow, my thoughts slow, even my blood slows. Cool air flows around my ankles, prompting me to snuggle deeper into my jacket, quit typing, and read the words of others.