Commuting

Since school started, traffic has been slower. Perhaps drivers are entering the freeway on new schedules to accommodate a quick school drop-off. In any event, I find myself running late most days now. It is curious that I feel a sense of relief, perhaps even a slight surge of happiness to witness the particular reason for any given traffic snarl. Debris on the road, or perhaps a stalled vehicle.

Today, I found a curious delight, when after creeping along for 10 minutes, I discovered the flashing lights of a police car, tow truck and the snarled wreckage of two vehicles. What an inconvenient way to begin a Tuesday.

Traffic speed immediately resumed to freeway speeds in the shining morning sunlight for several miles until the next little snag.

Incidents of road rage seem less common these days. There will always be impatient drivers that have an urgent need to pass other cars on the road or discourteous drivers that honk or flash headlights to express their frustration. But, thankfully, the escalating vehicular warfare that made pronounced headlines ten years ago seems to have diminished.

Commuting is not for sissies. We’re all just trying to get to work. It might be OK to cut each other a little slack once in a while, especially on the freeway.