A Run-in with Road Rage

The traffic on the main road was heavy. I sat with my blinker signaling right, waiting for a free space to pull onto the road. Finally, after waiting patiently for quite some time, a space opened and I drove on.

About a minute later, a car sped up behind me, practically riding my bumper. It was obvious he was in a hurry. I was signaling to get over to the next lane, which was slowing down his day and he was not happy about it. It only took seconds for me to scoot over to the next lane, and it only took seconds for him to throw a fire ball of anger at me, yelling, "You idiot!!!"

I instantly felt a ball of hateful energy hit my heart chakra with an angry thud. My Reiki immediately turned on and I instinctively held my hand to my heart, feeling the love coarse through me. As I waited at the stop light and his car barreled by, I hoped to catch the angry driver's eyes to show him the look of love that I had for him. Clearly, his anger had nothing to do with me slowing up his day for a few seconds. Just like all these cases of road rage, he was just another person bottling up his emotions, who doesn't know how to cope with life in a healthy way. These ticking time bombs wait for a random target to unleash their frustrations on.

Last night during dinner a friend told me how she was also the target of a road rager, this one was on a bike. He assumed she was going to cut him off, but she didn't. When she slowed down in traffic, he paused on his bike, looked over at her then screamed obscenities at her, calling her a "dumb b***." A person has to have a lot of loathing inside of them to hurl such hatred on anyone, let alone a perfect stranger.

As I drove away from the scene of my own road rage encounter days before, I thought to myself, that guy doesn't know me. He has no idea what I've been through in my life, that I've overcome disease and so much hardship. How does he know what kind of day I'm having? Maybe I just found out someone I loved died.

As for my friend, she is one of the kindest, most generous people I know and she has been experiencing one hell of a year between moving to a new country, separating from her husband and experiencing health problems. Clearly, that angry man on the bike has his own hardship story to tell, but don't we all?

Where is the compassion?

Running late, hating your job, being in a bad marriage, broke or plain not liking life does not give anyone the right to throw their garbage on other people. So what if someone cuts you off? You know what I do when I see someone who's clearly in a rush? I let them pass because I'd rather experience a peaceful drive then feel like I'm in some action movie that can end in disaster.

Being kind on the road will rack up plenty of good karma. You'll feel like a better person, and you'll be a happier person by stepping out of the road rage frenzy. It's amazing how if you're having the worst day ever and do something kind for someone else, whether it's letting them sneak in front of you in your lane, or forgiving someone for cutting you off, you will feel better about yourself. That's the power of love. Thinking, "What would God do?" And then acting on it.

If you've ever been the target of a road rager, remember not to take it personally and treat yourself extra kindly after the stinging experience. If you are attuned to Reiki, here are some tips for How To Reiki Away Road Rage.

Let Your Garden Grow

I'm lying on a beach chair in the garden and realize the long branch of the buganvilia plant is just feet away from touching my nose. To my left, the rose bushes are growing rampantly. One thorny branch is hovering over the garage door and catches me as I leave.

Over my right corner I see the jasmine plant has grasped onto the neighbor's wind chime and climbed it's way up, spiraling up to a little bouquet at the top.

Because of the overgrowth, some of the plants lower to the ground are suffering, not receiving enough sunlight to thrive. Staring at this luscious green, leafy arm in my face, I ask myself, why do I have such an issue with giving these plants a much-needed trim? Why am I feeling such guilt about picking up the garden shears and snipping away?

Part of me is wondering, does it hurt the plant? Does it feel pain or is it a relief to be rid of the heavy burden tilting it over? I'm also thinking, what if doesn't grow back? The thought of cutting off a living, healthy vine feels horrifying to me.

I need haircuts every couple of months and my hair grows back. Why am I thinking this way about a plant?

It's a human fear we're raised to believe: there is not enough. Nature is limited and can run out. I just recently watched a TV show where a scientist said there won't be enough food to feed the overpopulated earth - how long have we been hearing this?

How can we believe this fear when plants keep growing as fast as our hair? It's amazing how a plant can grow from a fallen seed, with no intention of our own. This is clearly God's territory though our human minds try to make us believe that somehow it will run out. We either don't trust God has provided for us here on earth or we don't trust ourselves to maintain the provisions given to us.

I used to grow vegetables on the terrace of my New York apartment. It was a tiny terrace, but plenty of room to fit a bunch of pots. I had the most delicious tomatoes, herbs and even lettuce! If we each grew our own garden, we would see with our own eyes that there is plenty.

It is true that we have the power to destroy our resources, but it has nothing to do with the power of nature being limited. It has everything to do with wanting more than we need. If we knocked down a bunch of buildings and gave the land back to nature, we would see life thriving again in no time. Everything regenerates in nature if given the chance.

Imagine some of the strip malls transformed into acres of organic farm. We may have to deal with one less Starbucks in a one mile radius, but think about all those fresh vegetables!

Trust that we live in a miraculous world; it is a world that revolves around growth. We can choose to grow out of our old beliefs or let them become as burdening as an overgrown buganvilia.

Off to get those shears and snip, snip!