Giving Way and Giving In

i can be a reckless driver. i beat red lights and i sometimes cut corners. i've always felt that i'd die in a car crash not because i am reckless but because there are asshole and more reckless drivers than i am. hahaha. my father's driving tip: edge your nose out when you need a lane and you're stuck in a traffic jam. what can the other vehicle do but give you the lane when you're already halfway there? while my mother says: stay in your lane at all times, not unless the car ahead of you breaks down and you have to move on. don't go overspeeding, let the other vehicles (namely taxis and jeepneys) overtake you. better safe and slow than fast and dangerous.

of all the driving tips my parents gave me (believe me, it's a pain when both of your parents, as well as your husband, are drivers. and you are the one driving. they will drive you crazy!), the one i always remember is my nanay's, and that is, to give way. i deem it important to practice good ethics and manners when on the road (yeah, yeah. i am reckless but i can be pretty nice as well). don't you hate those jeepneys and cars that overtake without warning and those who just stop in the middle of the road to pick up passengers? i've taken to occupying the middle and left lanes most of the time because i cannot tolerate the jeepneys' incessant loading and unloading everywhere attitude.

back to giving way. i don't mind stopping several times to give way to a vehicle which has to transfer to another lane, or do a U turn or make a turn. especially when i see that the driver is having difficulty passing through the thick web of rush hour traffic. i mean, what have i got to lose if i let him pass? except perhaps when i am on a hurry myself. besides, since i know that i can be an asshole myself, it's my way of repaying the kind soul who gave way to me earlier as well, or that taxi driver who didn't slam my car when i stupidly followed another car in making that wrong left turn (but geez, the left turn light didn't turn green after three (3!) exchanges already. which i found weird. so when the car i was following did the left turn, despite the red light, i did it as well. i never noticed the taxi rushing to cross the road since their lane has the rightful, green light. so i stepped on the gas and sped up. good thing i was fast or else, i believe the taxi could've caught my rear end and sent me to my spiraling death. we were going so fast. i prayed and said thanks that night, for keeping me safe. see how i can such be an idiot behind the wheel??)

i guess giving way or being considerate to others' needs is something that we don't only apply when driving. i am trying, i am learning to let others have their way, if that would mean a more peaceful world. hahaha. i am in the process of learning when to give in, as long as the situation doesn't compromise my principles and values. yes, what have i got to lose, right? again, as long as it's something that won't put me on the spot, in hot water, or in a dilemma. hello, ako na gani nagpaubaya, ako pay maapiki? dili pd tingali. hehehe.

again, most of life's lessons, i only fully appreciate and understand while i am on the highway - cruising at 80kph, without a care in the world.