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I found this and thought it might fit here. It's an interesting way to look at things.
> Garbage Truck.

>
> One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.
> We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a
> parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks,
> skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car
> whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled
> and waved at the guy. And I mean, he
was really friendly.
>
> So I asked, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined
> your car and sent us to the hospital!" This is when my taxi driver taught me
> what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."
>
> He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They
> run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of
> disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and
> sometimes they'll dump it o n you . Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave,
> wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other
> people at work, at home, or on the streets.
>
> The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage
> trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with
> regrets, so..... "Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who
> don't."
>
>
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how
> you take it!

I really like the garbage truck analogy. The second verse of this life lesson should be about recycling peoples crap into something wonderful - anger into happiness:rolleyes:

I take off really slowly from an exit ramp (left turn) up an incline and some middle-age woman in a Rolla lays into her horn. Actually, I didn't know she was blowing at me--by the wimpy-ness of the horn I seriously thought it was 100 yards away, at someone else, until she blew a second time (It took me like 10 seconds to go from 0 to 20 :D), so I just wave and point over at the left lane, wide open. And she irritatedly gives me the "get going" wave.

I don't, she guns it, we both get stopped at the next red light. Predictably she took off like a drag racer on green. :(

I love that stuff.. and I love the garbage truck thing.

It's actually liberating to let it all go when people rant on the road or anywhere else.
You'll live longer and have better health during.

I try to consider that my hypermiling may piss off some people, but you have to balance it with the thought that hey, they have the right to burn tons of fuel and drive like a nutcase,
but I also have the right to drive sensibly and do something good while hypermiling.
And you are right, the left lane is always there.

Since I have been hypermiling, it seems like there are more garbage trucks out there then there used to be.

I had a guy yell at me once, and I mean yell. He thought he "should have had" the right of way and got upset that I went in front of him. His windows were up, mine were up, I had music playing, and there was a LOT of traffic and I could still hear his voice... let alone see the back of his throat. I just calmly and expressionlessly looked at him for about 2 seconds and then directed my focus back on the road. I can only imagine how suprised he was to see how little of a reaction he got out of me. I agree that behavior like that shouldn't be given any attention. If people know that their anger will upset someone they're more apt to use it.

Great analogy! I've noticed working retail that people get pissed off because:
a. Life has taught them getting pissed is the only way to get things done.
b. They did something wrong and they're using anger at others to cover up they're own screw up.
c. They're used to getting there way and civility be damned.

Anyway you slice it, anger is just another way for people to go "Me-me-me-me-me-me-me"! Could also be a sign of poor self esteem?

Could also be a sign of poor self esteem?

More likely a way of compensating for their own social, professional, and personal shortcomings.

i heard a very similar analogy at a seminar given by a world famous dressage rider who does motivational speaking.......

we live by the mississippi river, and she likened it to people throwing debris in the river. we wouldn't step into the river, and pick up the garbage someone else had thrown in there and examine it, would we? most likely not.

so if someone dumps on you, and it's not your fault, she says just "consider it debris in the river" and let it float on by. i actually remember to do that once in a while :)

I need to remember this more often. We all have triggers and we probably know what they are.

I'll be honest and open about it--one of mine is other drivers on the road. 99% of the time I'm calm and defensive on the road but the other 1% I'm easily provoked and will snap at the slightest opportunity (hence my declaration that I would brake check every idiot who flashes the lights while tailgating a while ago!).

I guess I could take solace knowing that my mpg > their mpg :)

I have a short fuse.. but I have been working on it.