drivers

How do you cope with the stressed drivers in our fair land? Not just the ones who are a little irritated... the ones who are really rushing mad about something! The last couple of "pre-game" drives home I've had have been exhausting; due to the absolutely necessary heightened state of concentration one needs to avoid a collision. Boy, some people are not at all willing to miss a single, solitary minute of the game, and take every action they believe is necessary in order to fulfill that need. Tailgating is my favourite pet peeve, especially when the drivers try to stare you down by leaning over their steering wheel and give you the evil eye as up-close as they can in your rear-view mirror. Driving an older, perceived slower car makes this a relatively frequent occurrence, on game night in particular.

But... I can drive! I carry a driver's licence and would only ever get pulled over if I've committed a driving infraction (happened once in my life) or was weaving in and out of lanes (never happened). I just heard that in Saudi Arabia, women STILL can't drive, along with a whole slew of other important "personhood" things they aren't allowed to do yet including crossing a border without your male guardian, voting and opening a bank account. Have I had my head in the sand? I know all about Afghanistan but I had completely missed this Saudi thing.

So, this past week I've taken a new tact to my road rage. I think about the women in Saudi who are trying to organize a march or protest of sorts on or about June 17th, to highlight this issue to the world. I think about Manal al-Sharif (pictured above) who had the temerity to post a video of her driving skills on youtube and is now spending her 7th night in jail. She has yet to be charged. I take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery, worry less about the drivers cutting me off, try to find just a little compassion for them.... they are way more stressed than me and must suffer in the face of that stress. I think about my cherished driver's licence, and remember it's a privilege, not a right. Protest. Drive. Breathe.