I developed my Dumbass Theory at a four-way stop. You know the story, everyone takes their turn, depending on which car showed up first. Usually it all goes smoothly, but this was one of those days when That Guy rushes in and takes his turn before me. Hey, I was here first! My irritation flares up. I honk and he doesn’t even look. I spent the next 10 minutes fuming in my head, angry and tight.

Or I’d get so pissed off at that lady who cut me off in traffic that I’d tailgate her for a few blocks. Jerk! I’ll make sure you know what a shitty thing that was to do.

I started being troubled by this mini-road-rage of mine. I had a hard time just letting it go. Why did it bother me so? Why couldn’t I just shrug on move on? I wondered if it could escalate someday into a worse scenario… I didn’t want that. Continue reading