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Driver teaches lesson on kindess by example

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Contributed by: Becca Whitnall on 9/17/2007

I'm ashamed to say I didn't spend Sept. 11 thinking about the tragic events of six years ago. I knew it was the anniversary and saw some of the memorial television coverage but that was about it. It wasn't until Thursday that I really thought about it and when I did, I didn't grieve the dead so much as think about the life after the attacks.

Do you remember what life was like? I'm not talking about having to remove our shoes in order to board a plane or ramifications of the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act. I'm talking about how we treated one another. We were nice to one another.

Remember how we smiled at strangers in the store? And how we'd open a door for someone whose hands were full? And do you remember the courtesy we showed on the roads? It was as if we weren't all in such a hurry that we couldn't let fellow travelers merge onto the road ahead of us for fear of arriving at our destination two minutes later. There weren't any blaring horns - except maybe in support of a passing fire truck.

I was reminded how much we-ok, I- had reverted back to my old ways while on the road the other day. Approaching a somewhat busy road, I came to a quick stop when I noticed children crossing the street. The crosswalk at this particular corner has imbedded blinking lights but even so, it's hard to see pedestrians when they're on the other side of the street. As the kids crossed, a woman in a black car began to cross the road as well. I'm not proud to say, but my instinct was to get angry. Who was this woman to drive like that while these kids were walking?

She was going so slowly that I was sure she was nosing out to make a turn onto the street in front of me just as soon as the kids were far enough along. But as she continued, it dawned on me that she was staying even with the kids to keep her car between them and oncoming traffic. How sad is it that someone like me would jump to the most obnoxious of conclusions? And how cool is it that she'd take the time to make sure these kids were safe?

Her thoughtfulness is an example that I wish more would follow: the despicable person who shot a 10-year-old girl in Oxnard the other night in what police are saying was probably an incident of road rage, for instance, could learn something here.

As could I. I've vowed to try to return to driving like I did six years ago, with a much better attitude.

I don't mean to sound preachy but it shouldn't take a national disaster for us to treat one another with extraordinary care. Maybe in our daily lives extraordinary care is too much to ask. But it's not too much to just treat people how you want to be treated. It's not too much to show a little patience and kindness.

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