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Men's Group

In reply to the discussion: How do you deal with anger? [View all]
 

lumberjack_jeff

(33,224 posts)
10. The lady deserved to be scared.
Tue Jul 14, 2015, 11:25 PM
Jul 2015

I ride, and like you, have come to the conclusion that everyone using their left turn signal is trying to kill me.

Given the choice, your family would prefer that you are scary and alive rather than invisible and dead.

I hope she feels equally "like shit" that she frightened you.

story time.
Many years ago I was stopped at a sign waiting for a break in freeway traffic (no onramp, just a stop sign for traffic entering a four lane highway). I looked in my rear-view because I wanted to see if it was prudent to wait for a friend approaching on the highway. All I could see in my mirror was rapidly approaching "YO". I dumped the clutch and released the brakes in an effort to get out of the way, but the toyota pickup hit and threw me onto the highway.

I picked myself up, verified that I was intact and wasn't in immediate peril of getting run over by the highway traffic, removed my helmet and turned to look at the car that hit me. The bumper was caved in, the grill was destroyed. the hood was v-notched and buckled about 8". A young woman got out of the truck, said "Oh shit, my mom is going to kill me."

I said "your mom is the least of your problems".

I'm a pretty benign guy, but in those days I spent quite a bit of time in the gym, I lifted a fair amount of weight, and I was wearing a tank-top and a nontrivial amount of road rash.

She looked at me for about 2 seconds, then silently returned to the truck and locked the doors.

The cop gave her a ticket for "failure to yield" which I considered a fairly light consequence of the dumbfuckery inherent in rear-ending a motorcycle at a stop sign.

I rode the bike home but the truck had to be towed. I hope she learned a lesson about sharing the road, as I learned a lesson about protective riding gear.
/story

I guess I didn't answer your question. I will say this; I think your anger served you appropriately, and that you exerted the right amount of control over it.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

How do you deal with anger? [View all] Glassunion Jul 2015 OP
It's wonderful that you were able to pull yourself out of that (both the accident and the enough Jul 2015 #1
I honestly don't know how I did it. Glassunion Jul 2015 #8
I simply ask myself if I would act the same way if I waited 5 minutes Major Nikon Jul 2015 #2
Dude, you're a hero, the stuff of legends discntnt_irny_srcsm Jul 2015 #3
Lol! Glassunion Jul 2015 #5
So let me see discntnt_irny_srcsm Jul 2015 #6
Thanks. Glassunion Jul 2015 #7
Thanks for sharing the story discntnt_irny_srcsm Jul 2015 #9
The lady deserved to be scared. lumberjack_jeff Jul 2015 #10
Anger and adrenaline are weird ones kjones Jul 2015 #4
I make it a point to walk away when I'm angry mythology Jul 2015 #11
I know this is kind of an old thread, but I thought I'd respond davidpdx Aug 2015 #12
Consider Sarcasm because... discntnt_irny_srcsm Aug 2015 #13
Sarcasm causes you a lot less grief davidpdx Aug 2015 #14
My daughter had this t-shirt, she's a department manager at a major retail store discntnt_irny_srcsm Aug 2015 #15
Funny, I have one that says davidpdx Aug 2015 #16
Stop yourself jhrobbins Apr 2016 #17
A story to share cleveramerican Aug 2016 #18
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