The Good, the Grad, and the Ugly

Even in life’s brightest and best moments, some people still find a way to act stupid.

I covered Victor’s commencement ceremony last Sunday and it was a wonderful celebration for grads and their parents. Seniors crossed their high school finish line and stepped out into the world. Parents ushered their kids into the next phase of their lives with pride, nostalgia and a lot  of eye-dabbing. The grads behaved well. No one pulled any pranks or launched beach balls over the crowd during the ceremony. It was a good day.

Then came the parking lot.

Steamy heat from a blazing sun compounded the tension as parents, grandparents, grads and siblings packed into their cars, trucks and vans. A thicket of vehicles edged in the direction of the exit.

As I slowly inched my way down the access road toward freedom, I paused long enough to let a car slip in line ahead of me. Why not? We’re all hot. We're all anxious to get out of here. And being polite doesn’t cost anything — it’s the right thing to do.

My generosity apparently fell too short for the next driver in line, who ignored everyone else also waiting and barreled out, muscling his way into the one-foot gap between cars.

I drive an older model van, so for me, a game of chicken holds no threat. Until today. Bully driver did me in. He didn’t actually t-bone my van, he did put a deep dent in my sense of well-being. Aggressive, me-first, crush-the-opponent behavior always does that. And for someone who's had to watch a family member extricated out of a rollover crash, the near-impact gave me instant flashbacks that took days to shake off.

I thought about who might be behind the wheel of that red Honda, and if getting to their destination 30 seconds sooner had actually enriched their day or life. I wondered how they spent their bonus time and if they put it to good use.

I wondered if bully driver was a student — how sad that a good kid may have passed his or her classes at school and failed at being considerate. Or worse yet, what if it was a parent of one of those students? So much for being a good example.

Lessons in a parking lot — this one was about politeness. Bully driver got an F, and was a character of decidedly little character on the road.

— Also seen at Messenger Post Media