Facing Humanity

I've been shaking my head a lot lately over angry drivers while wondering how my pristine driving record could upset so many Portlandians. In a progressive city where it's the law to stop for pedestrians, I'm shocked by the vulgarity I face on a daily basis as chauffeur-mom to four children. In the past month I've faced humanity and determined we need to save the planet, one less car at a time...

"Mom, he's looking back at us and he's giving you the middle finger," my daughter laughed on our way to drop her at the airport two weeks ago. 

"It's not me, it's got to be for someone else," I said, stopping behind the man with the erect middle finger sitting in the old sedan at the intersection. 

Green light. Go!

Sure enough, the dude turned left, abruptly merging into the right lane and slowing down to pull alongside me. Yep, she was right, he was clearly making sure both my teen daughter and I saw him flip me the bird, rather than keeping his eyes on the road ahead. Clueless as to our role, I waved and smiled as he furiously peeled around the next corner on two wheels to escape.

The day prior, I was managing a 3-point parallel parking situation to attend a meeting in North Portland. I debated waiting for the lady fixated on her cell phone in her parked car to leave first, but she wouldn't make eye contact. Was she parking or leaving? No sooner did I execute a 'Perfect 10' parking job in front of her and turn off my minivan, than the woman began to move. It's a miracle she was able to exit safely as she stared at me, both arms thrown in the air, as if I needed her permission to parallel park on Burnside Street.

After driving to drop my two sons at tennis camp yesterday, a 10-mile un-bikeable distance from home thanks to the wee-early 8 a.m. summer hour, I was stunned once again. Making a U-turn at a small roundabout to head home some angry dude yelled out his window "Nice turn signal bitch!" loud enough I could hear through my air conditioned windows. Clearly the safe speed limit to navigate a two-lane street and roundabout circle made him late to work that morning. 

I couldn't help but laugh at the insanity of road rage I'd encountered as I hit the Springwater Corridor yesterday to accumulate some miles off the highway. My feet pounding the pavement, I faced humanity and they smiled back. Commuter bikes heading to work, a man on roller blades cross-country skiing, swerving kids on bike following parents like ducklings, grandmothers speed walking, runners like myself; even a teen boy flexing his arm like a muscle nodded at me. I'll admit I felt like 'Stacy's Mom' for a fleeting moment, energized as the warm sun hit my middle-aged face. Fuchsia wildflowers, deer munching branches alongside abandoned railroad tracks, kayaks navigating the Willamette River, homeless tent camps next to wooden doghouses and hand made crosses under the Ross Island Bridge. None of which was visible by car. 

Step Off The Path. The words resonated, stopping me cold in my tracks; exactly what I needed to see. We should all take the road less traveled.

In a life full of sports practices, music lessons, deadlines, endless obligations, I find myself running out of gas often (me and the rest of Portlandia for that matter). Our family managed two and a half years with one minivan, six bikes and public transportation. Forced Family Fun on bike rides cures even sibling rivalry!

Every day I don't turn on the ignition and face traffic, I breathe a little easier. I imagine most of society feels the same way, having faced human kindness off the driven path yesterday. Perhaps if we were forced to power ourselves wherever we were going we could save the planet after all, one smile at a time.