I have a choice

Do you ever have one of those crazy moments of people's nastiness that comes out of nowhere and invades the totally content and happy reality of your day? Well, today it was a double whammy at the gas station.

Here I am having a splendid little chat on the good 'ole mobile phone with a friend, and I turn into the gas station to get a little fuel. As I am pulling in, I see a pump open, and with gratitude move to take the spot. Totally unbeknownst to myself, I am apparently pulling in the way of a man in a white truck who was trying to get around the person in front of him so that he could get to an open pump. As I look up, I see Mr. White Truck throwing up his hands, yelling and shouting at me, and flipping me off!!! I was like, "WHOA....," really?? Is life this sad and depressing that you have to totally fly off the handle at someone who had no idea that they were even getting in the way?

At this point, I had a choice. I could either stay there, shrug my shoulders with a pathetic "sorry" look in my eyes, or I could back up and let him through. So, I backed up and let him through. All this is happening as I am still chatting away with my friend. So, I re-park after White Truck gets around me and go up to the gas station attendant to pre-pay. I hand him the $20 and (politely) say "Hi, could I pre-pay for that pump right there?" He glares down at me and barks, "Only if you get off that cell phone!" Now, I have seen signs at other gas stations saying that you should turn off cellular devices while fueling your car. I am not unaware of this rule, but I had been quite distracted in the last moments, and so I glance around, and although I see no sign in sight saying such a thing, I cheerily reply "Sure!" with a smile and proceed to tell my friend I will call her back after I am done getting gas.

Choices, choices. I read a book once that said that there is always time and space between stimulus and response. In other words, whenever someone comes at me with something nasty, or even when two someones come at me with two nasties, (the stimulus), I have all the time and space I need to come out with a response. An appropriate response. I never have an excuse for a nasty reply back. I have time to choose my response! That is freedom! Today I chose to respond out of my inner contentment with my day, and I was able to leave the whole experience without so much as a dent in the sunniness of my life :)