I've been more impulsive than usual lately. I don't know why.
Today, I was out doing errands in my car. It was the first time I've been in the car in a while. I've been trying to use my bike whenever possible, which generally means trips that are less that 5 miles (one way) that don't require hauling any oversized cargo. So, if it's the grocery store, farmers market, hardware store, or anything medical, I can ride my bike. But today, I had to go out to a few of the stores that surround the dreaded mall and I had to haul stuff home with me, so into the car I went.
I felt like I was trapped in a box.
And then I got rear ended.
I was waiting at a red light when it happened, and I didn't see it coming. Suddenly, my head bopped back and the whole car shook. I sat there for a few beats and then turned off the car and got out. And then the perp got out of her car, too. She was clearly terrified and was frantically trying to assemble what little English she knew. "So sorry!!" she said.
I could see a toddler in the back seat of her little rust-bucket of a car. I surveyed the situation and saw no damage to my car (well, nothing that wasn't already there -- as I mentioned on Sunday, my car is not in the best of shape), and her car looked like it had survived the blow, so I simply asked her, "are you ok?"
"So sorry!" she returned. "I don't think there is any damage," I replied. "Are you both ok?" And again, I got simply, "so sorry!"
And that's when I was impulsive. I didn't see that there was any point in calling the cops in or asking for insurance information, so I just told her that it was all ok, gave her a pat on the shoulder, and got in my car and drove away.
I'm assuming she felt some relief. I certainly did.
Today, I was out doing errands in my car. It was the first time I've been in the car in a while. I've been trying to use my bike whenever possible, which generally means trips that are less that 5 miles (one way) that don't require hauling any oversized cargo. So, if it's the grocery store, farmers market, hardware store, or anything medical, I can ride my bike. But today, I had to go out to a few of the stores that surround the dreaded mall and I had to haul stuff home with me, so into the car I went.
I felt like I was trapped in a box.
And then I got rear ended.
I was waiting at a red light when it happened, and I didn't see it coming. Suddenly, my head bopped back and the whole car shook. I sat there for a few beats and then turned off the car and got out. And then the perp got out of her car, too. She was clearly terrified and was frantically trying to assemble what little English she knew. "So sorry!!" she said.
I could see a toddler in the back seat of her little rust-bucket of a car. I surveyed the situation and saw no damage to my car (well, nothing that wasn't already there -- as I mentioned on Sunday, my car is not in the best of shape), and her car looked like it had survived the blow, so I simply asked her, "are you ok?"
"So sorry!" she returned. "I don't think there is any damage," I replied. "Are you both ok?" And again, I got simply, "so sorry!"
And that's when I was impulsive. I didn't see that there was any point in calling the cops in or asking for insurance information, so I just told her that it was all ok, gave her a pat on the shoulder, and got in my car and drove away.
I'm assuming she felt some relief. I certainly did.
1 comment:
Where's the "like" button? :-)
PS: We Europeans get to look forward to 11.12.13 this year. ;-)
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