"Beauty confronts us with the requirement that we place ourselves among...the redeemers, the leaders in the protection of life. Once you have seen the bush on fire, you are not going to get out of the assignment unless you close your eyes to the beauty.... [You] either have to close your eyes or go back to Egypt and set the people free." - Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker, "Rising to the Challenge of Our Times"

Thursday, March 30, 2006

day of infamy

I became angry and made an impolite gesture at a young man in a large pickup truck today. I was riding my bike home and apparently I interfered with the free-flow of his vehicle. The main road I was riding on (in the bike lane) veers left and a little-used side road continues straight ahead. He wanted to be on the latter road but had to slow down due to my presence. This must have upset him terribly because he honked and yelled, and stopped his truck. I stopped my bike, briefly, and gave him my regards from about 30 yards away.

I've never done that before and I was kind of shocked by my own behavior as may be obvious from my use of euphemisms for a euphemism. Seems out of character for me. Normally I would want to consider all the possibilities before deciding whether or not I'm having feelings of deep hostility and whether or how I should express them, and by then the opportunity has usually passed. Maybe I was far enough away that it seemed not too risky. I know that is unwise cycling policy to escalate any situation with a the driver of a larger vehicle even when the driver is an ignoramus without theology or geometry. A blowgun with a tranquilizer dart would be nice to have on the bike sometimes. Take down that bad boy and give him a little radio collar so we can track his range and migrations, maybe transport him by helicopter to some other rural community...OK, I'm still feeling a little hostile.

IN OTHER NEWS, found an interesting article on Beginner Triathlete.com about exercise and weight loss (or lack thereof). Don't read it if you're having a bad day or feeling down though...it might not help you feel better. I just can't keep myself from sharing the love today.

2 comments:

Emily said...

And maybe I have seen too many Nature films.

wordsfromhome said...

This is the sort of thing that ended my biking in our dear old home town. I CAN blame all my extra pounds on dirt-bag truck drivers, can't I???