I was driving — yes, driving — somewhere the other day, and I crested a hill on a lightly traveled road, with a commercial parking lot to my left and a private drive off another parking lot — I think it belonged to a church — on my right.
Just before I reached the driveway, a car rolled through the stop sign to my right, directly in my path. I’d seen the car coming, so it was easy to tap the brakes and avoid a collision, and as I did so, I gave the horn a little honk, not in anger but just to let the offending driver know that I was there and maybe next time she might consider actually stopping before barrelling into traffic. Consider it community service.
The driver seemed surprised as she glanced in her rear-view mirror. Without pause, she raised her right arm to the mirror so it (the arm) would be in plain sight, then slowly, deliberately … flashed a peace sign.
Honestly, it was twice as many fingers as I was expecting.
She smiled with her eyes, let the gesture linger, then turned right at the next intersection; I turned left.
As we parted, I thought, “What a lovely gesture.”
And it was.
I’ll admit I’ve communicated nonverbally several times while I’ve been on my bike, using all manner and number of digits, though I’m a bit ashamed to admit one gesture (and finger) make up the bulk of my sign language. Call it half a peace sign.
In the heat of a moment, it’s too easy to flip the bird. It’s quick and dirty, and it gets the point across. But it also tends to breed a bit of ill-will at least between two people, if not cyclists and drivers in general. I reserve the right to dial up the middle digit to express my displeasure at having my person (and, yes, I do have a person) jeopardized by dolts, especially dolts who are deliberately endangering.
However, I plan to give this peace-sign thing a spin.
The way it was wielded my way the other day bore little resemblance to its hippie-dippy origin. But it spoke volumes. The peace-signee quickly, deftly signalled, “Oops. Sorry. My bad. Please forgive. Have a nice day.” Two fingers, a split-second; ’nuff said.
Peace, man.
I feel better already.
Tagged: bike, bike commuting, bicycle, bicycle commuting
Comments
NewbieGardener (anonymous) says…
I heartily agree. Too often I focus on the "half a peace sign" gesture, which is better than holding any anger in when you go home or to work...but concentrating on positive interactions and forgiving wrongdoers would be a nice way to drive/ride/scoot.
kansasplains1 (Lawrence Morgan) says…
I completely agree, and this post has come at a relevant time. Too often with all the traffic (more than 100 miles each way every day) I loose my patience. Thanks for reminding me.
Did you know, by the way, the origin of the bird? This article recently appeared on the BBC web site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16...
The next time I get upset driving, I will TRY to remember this very good suggestion.
But it will take some "mindfulness" thinking to remember it in time.
NOTcrusher (anonymous) says…
When I make a boo-boo, I tap my open palm against the side of my head, as if to say "Wake up, stupid; wake up!"
Here's another tip. When I get frustrated with a driver in front of me, I always try to imagine that it's my elderly mother in the car. Would I want some clown honking at her simply because she doesn't turn right on red, or because she doesn't see the green arrow? No.
So, be polite!
Be kind.
Hugs!
C.