Driving Stress

I was already under stress because I was dealing with some massive "after weekend crap" that SO makes me NOT want them to spend a week with their mother!! (It's not up to me, tho)

Anyway I had to go shopping because we were running out of milk at the speed of light and we were already out of eggs and "jet dry" for the dishwasher. I thought I needed more rat food but it turns out there was another box hidden in there so they should be good until my sister comes back and takes them.

My stepson was complaining that his tooth hurt badly so we took him to the dentist (they said it's just loose and it will fall out on it's own) and then we went shopping. The whole drive to the dentist and the whole drive to the big town where we do our shopping I kept noticing idiots.

Being passed while I'm doing (a bit) over the speed limit (late for dentist) by an idiot was just the first of many. Is it national "Do 25 mph over the speed limit" day? Is it drive like a [insert your own expletive here] moron day? Is there a full moon?

After shopping in the big walmart we tried to leave the parking lot where we witnessed one person who stopped out in the middle of the road before going without looking and one person who didn't even pause for that particular stopsign.

Then I tried to leave town. It was a little crowded (after lunch people) but I generally keep a good enough distance behind the car in front of me so that if they stopped suddenly I could either stop or go around them but I never figured I'd actually be tested on that!!

I don't know why but the car(s?) in front of me suddenly slammed on their brakes and I mean SLAMMED on their brakes! All that lovely adrenalin kicked in nicely and everything became extrodinarily clear. I hit my brakes, realized they were trying to go for a dead stop and STOOD on my brake while screaming "HOLY SHITOLA!!" (I dont know where I picked this phrase up but I use it in situations like this) and my left arm stayed locked on the steering wheel while my right arm went over as if to keep the rest of the van from going up into the front seat (thank goodness the groceries were in the trunk and all the kids wear their seatbelts!!). Later I thought maybe I was instinctively holding back the invisible person sitting in the passenger seat even though there was no one really there.

While I was staring at the bumper in front of me attempting not to hit it I stole a quick glance to the right --too much traffic-- and when I finally stopped (about a half second later) I looked in my rearview to see the idiot who was tailgating me swerving to go around my car and he hit me.

Don't get me wrong, it was just a tap, but I heard it above whatever my kids were exclaiming and over the radio (but the radio really wasn't loud). I thought about jumping out and making sure there was no damage but then the traffic started moving. I pulled up a little (the fact that the car's engine didn't automatically shut off should tell you how little of a tap it was - the Mr ran over my daughters bike going faster while backing up out of the driveway) and saw that the car behind me didn't have a scratch on it and I immediately assumed there was nothing wrong with my van either and that's about when I started getting angry so I went with the traffic and got out onto the highway.

My body deals with the onset of adrenalin extremely well, but it doesn't take coming down off it well at all! That was about when I started cursing every idiot on the road ESPECIALLY the moron who hit me and ESPECIALLY whichever moronodon stopped short in the FIRST place! I was pissed! After I was done spouting out my profanities (which I had to apologize to the kids for) I got the headache and the nervous jitters, shortness of breath, and heart pounding from all the unused adrenalin.

I think I was over halfway home when I was calm enough to thank God no one was hurt or more seriously hit.

I was happy to get home and away from all the idiot drivers who are out today!!!