Let it Be....

No, you haven't mistakenly stumbled upon a blog for a Beatle's fan page, but this does have something to do with the song, Let it Be. That song, in case you aren't familiar with it, is a song that extols the virtues of not taking anything too seriously, and that no matter how bad things are right now, they will get better. Here are some lyrics from the song:

And though the night is cloudy,

There is still a light that shines on me,

Shine until tomorrow, let it be.

O, I wake up to the sound of music

Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be

Let it be, let it be,

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

This part of the song, from the third stanza, details that no matter how dark the night, light is still there, and that no matter how tough the night, there is still sweet music to wake up to to fulfill your spirit. In short, nothing bad lasts forever, and there is always hope.

I was thinking about this today when something happened to me, something that I'd usually be pretty upset with, but today handled much differently. Today coming back from the store, I had an experience that reminded me of how important it is to sometimes just let it be and not stress about things. I was driving in the left lane, approaching the left turn lane for the side street that would take me to my home. About an eighth of a mile before the side street, a painter's truck pulls out from a convenience store on the left side of the road, and turns in to the center left turn lane. Initially, I thought he would pull in there and either wait, or try to speed up, pull in to the left lane, and get in front of me. He started to speed up just a bit, then slowed, and traveled in the center left turn lane about ten miles an hour slower than the speed limit. He knew the center left turn lane turned in to the left turn lane, so I'm assuming he thought why get in to traffic when he had to turn anyways? So he stayed in that lane, going slowly, and made his way in to the left turn lane. I was also going to turn left as I said earlier, but because of having to slow down due to not only not knowing what he was going to do, but also needing to turn myself, I ended up missing the green light as my slow moving painter friend slowly made his way to the end of the left turn lane. By this point, the light was yellow, then red, and both me and him were waiting for the light to change. There is no doubt in my mind had he not gotten in to the center lane, but waited for me to go by and then turned, I would have made that light, and not been held up.

For a brief instance, I was annoyed at the selfishness of this driver, but then it occurred to me that being held up was not going to be a big deal. I wasn't rushing home for any reason, I wasn't going to be late for anything, and the light was going to change soon, and both of us would be able to go. In that moment I realized that what many drivers tend to get upset over: slow drivers, being cut off, drivers not using turn signals, minor things like that, are really nothing to get upset over. yes, I would have liked to have made the light, I would have liked it had the painter been a bit more considerate, but his actions might have cost me four minutes of time. Nothing worth getting my blood pressure up or doing something stupid like flipping him off or tailgating him to show how upset I was.

No matter what happens while driving, whether it is something that nature does, something that another driver does, or something dumb that you as a driver has done, there is, as the song says, still a light that shines on you.  Nothing is as bad as it seems, and no action from another driver, no matter how careless or seemingly harmful, can ruin your day if you don't let it. My advice to you is to let things be. If a driver is driving slow, be calm and considerate of that person. Maybe they are driving terrified. Maybe they know that if they do the speed limit, damage could be done to their car so they are going slowly to prevent that. Maybe something bad happened in their life, and they are driving and processing that at the same time. If a person pulls out in front of you, maybe they are having an argument with their kids, and not totally focused on what they are doing. Sure, they should be doing a better job of driving, but emotions do tend to take over, and when they run high, a lot of times drivers don't make the best decisions. Maybe that person who is tailgating you just got laid off or his wife left him. I can go on and on with the situations, as I'm sure you can, too, if you take a minute and think about it. But whatever it is that another driver has done to you, it isn't worth stressing out and making your mood, and your day, rotten. Take the Beatle's advice, and just Let it  Be. You will be calmer, and happier, in the long run if you do. Until next time...