“Words and gestures began to fly that were very much not in the spirit of Christmas, and this sentiment began to spread much more quickly than the one of Christmas cheer.” 

Once upon a time, there were thousands of families that traveled the over populated roads of their city for Christmas to visit families, friends, and spread the good cheer of the holidays for the whole month of December. And this story continued every year for decades. And then this caravan of thousands of people got angry, tired of the kids fighting in the back seat, the drivers trying to merge onto I-75 ( they loved watching people from out of town try to go through downtown Atlanta ),the ungodly slow pace of I-285, the weirdly panicky pace of 400, and the I-85 bridge that seemed to get narrower each year. Road rage kicked in because there were too many distracted people on the already crammed roads, and then all the people from outside of town joined the jam. Words and gestures began to fly that were very much not in the spirit of Christmas, and this sentiment began to spread much more quickly than the one of Christmas cheer. The end.

Does this story sound familiar? Anyone else struggling with the oftentimes obligatory travel of the holidays in or out of the metro Atlanta area? Navigating the internal and external situations of our travels can be tricky. While  We may not be able to control the externals, our internals will affect how, and if, we arrive at our intended destination. Try as we might to curse the city planners, road workers or individuals riding alongside us in traffic, ultimately, it is our job to not be a part of the literal “rat race” that can take over our everyday lives. If you’re a commuter, like most of us in the metro Atlanta area, you might not have any other option than to join the rat race, but you don’t have to let it take over your mind, emotions, and well-being. We may not be able to change others’ poor choices, but we can change how we respond. Maybe the holidays would be a good time to practice letting things slide just a bit in our road rage, judgmental lives. Perhaps that person that just cut you off got laid off or lost a loved one. Maybe that person that can’t seem to merge for the love of all things is driving to see an estranged family member…who knows? The roads are full of angry, sad, disappointed, confused, and very real people. And guess what? You’re one of them.

Wherever you find yourself this holiday season, I’m sorry if you have to navigate tricky roads. I’m sorry that you will, inevitably, cross paths with crazy drivers and crazy traffic jams. But as you do, remember to maybe offer the grace and holiday cheer you’d hope to get yourself when you mess up. Stay safe and take a chill pill. You’ll need one if this city keeps expanding the way it has each and every new year. Cheers!

P.S. Here at LexTech, we will make sure your car is ready for whatever you need, so you can focus on your own to do list.

by LexTechs