Humble Driving

While I love Hong Kong, there are some aspects that I don't think I will ever adjust to and some things that really get to me.

I find HK to have a very 'survival of the fittest'... 'fend for yourself' attitude.

Now I don't think this is just a HK thing but I think it's much more obvious because the amount of people in a small space.

But I do think when it comes to driving, they are taught offensive driving versus how I grew up learning to drive defensively.

This morning as I came through the tunnel, there was a back-up.  Shocker, really.  Normally, most people are quite good at taking turns letting people in to help keep traffic moving.  But not the person next to me, in fact they did their very best to push me out of my own lane.

Just after I dropped Izzy off at school, I was following a taxi.  It stopped to let it's passengers out but it stopped in a pedestrian crosswalk area where there is a bit of a barrier for the people to stop in the middle of the street safely.  Had they parked just a few feet further up the street, where there was space, I could have easily passed him and kept on my way.  Instead, I had to slow way down for fear of running over the curb.

Needless to say I was a little annoyed and frustrated with this 'all about me' mentality.  I actually used these situations to talk to Isaiah about what it's nice to think about other people.  How if that person at the tunnel had just let me in or if this taxi would have just moved a few feet more, I could have easily moved on my way and not been frustrated.  How sometimes it's just little things that make a difference and make a person's day better.

Now, I've been praying lately that God would humble my heart and not let me think better of myself than others. And God answers prayer.  :)

As I merge onto the highway again, it's actually difficult to see, there's not much merging space, and actually quite difficult to get the right speed.  You can't go to fast in case there's a car you can't see but you can't go to slow to be able to keep up with traffic.  Anyway,  I come down the hill, see some traffic in the lane but I've got space.  Or so I think I do if I keep the speed up.

Seriously, I checked and double checked and pulled onto the highway.  Just seconds later the car behind me beeps his horn.  Apparently, he didn't agree with me.

So as I continue to drive, my heart sinks.  I didn't intend to cause frustration to someone else ... just as I'm sure that taxi driver didn't, though I can't be sure about the tunnel traffic... she really fought to not let me in.  :)

Humility stinks...

But I'm grateful that it happened because it made me more gracious on the drive home, more patient, more cautious and it reminded me that I'm not perfect and I need to keep coming to Jesus.