A road rage kind of day

Definitely. Traffic. Stupid people. A short period of time to accomplish the trip I had planned. The makings of a classic case of Chura road rage. I was fine on the ride TO said destination, but coming home, knowing I had to make it there in time for a certain furry friend (ahem, BUSTER the puppy) to not "make" on the floor in the few minutes he would be loose between my brother going to work and me arriving at the house. Old people, stupid people, arrogant rich people, inconsiderate pedestrians (please, people, we're on LONG ISLAND. You cannot get anywhere by WALKING. Public transportation is not reliable. You need a car, or a loved one with a car, or a friend with a car, or even an acquaintance that remembers to bathe with a car). One by one, they plagued my hurried ride. And then, as I approached the last straw, road work, I noticed the guy with the sign. You know, the one that tells you to either slow down or stop, getting paid to stand there for hours. My mother always thought it must be a pretty good gig, because apparently they get paid a lot, but I wouldn't want to have everyone trying to get everywhere angry at me all day, $18 an hour or not. Anyway, the guy with the sign, yes. As I approached the mess of dirt, trucks, and smog ahead of me, I thought that the guy with the sign was giving us all important pieces of information-how long up the road it was one lane, how long the road work would take, detours and the like, but as I got closer, I realized that it was nothing of the kind. He was giving a different happy greeting to everyone who passed. The car ahead of me got a wave, and as I drove up, he pushed his cap up with one finger, like a cowboy, and flashed me a big toothy grin. I couldn't help but smile back, he seemed so happy to be doing everyone this service of letting them get around the working men. It was the highlight of my day, and it kept me sane till I finally arrived home. I don't know who that kid was, but today I am grateful that he is happy enough in life to pass a little of it on to everyone. He will do great things some day, of this I am sure.