Hey, Sorry!

I have recently discovered the power of a well-placed “sorry”.

When you’re in traffic and some idiot cuts you off, it’s not just the cutting off that causes your blood pressure to soar but it’s also the lack of an obvious sign that the person knows they’ve done anything wrong. They might be dying of embarrassment inside, but to the rest of the world they seem to go happily along their way, oblivious to the close call they nearly caused. That’s where I think the well placed “sorry” comes in. 

It’s amazing how a mouthed “SORRY!” or a bonk to the head in an homage to the old I-could-have-had-a-V-8 commercial, can defuse a tense situation. I have used the well placed “sorry” 3 times in the past week.

Once, as I began to pull out of a gas station parking lot with my gas cap dangling at the side of the X-Trail, I gave a big “sorry!” to the irritated guy stuck behind me as I stopped to screw in the cap. His anger softened, he smiled and his “you f-ing idiot” look turned to “hey, it could happen to anyone.” It was an obvious transition.

I was a distracted driver this week who was chatting on the cell phone while pulling into traffic and I cut off a guy changing lanes into mine. I adopted a genuinely horrified look opposite his angry one, gave him a big “SORRY!” and he smiled and nodded, no longer wishing to murder me.

This morning it worked again. Hey, am I a bad driver??? This seems to be happening a lot lately. Anyway, I digress. I know that when someone causes me distress because of a driving error, just a quick acknowledgment would go a long way toward reinstating my happiness. The thank-you wave and the well placed “sorry”; don’t leave home without them.