To the man

who cut me off this morning

who was driving in an attempt to qualify for the Indy 500

yet qualifications

aren’t in December

and they only happen

in May

at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

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At the same time on your phone

responding to emails from your boss

or refreshing updates on facebook

about people you don’t talk to and don’t like

or texting back your coworker about that thing

or setting your fantasy football lineup for the weekend

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I want to give you the benefit of the doubt

besides

i’m assuming you just got the worst news of your life

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Maybe you were driving to the hospital to say your last goodbye to a loved one

or

maybe you were late for your year-end review with your boss

or

maybe you were angry because you got into a fight with your wife before you left your house

or

maybe you were frustrated because you didn’t get the promotion you felt you deserved

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Most likely

you hit snooze

and the first thing you did

when you woke up was reached for your phone

started scrolling social media and reading the news

still in your bed and haven’t had breakfast

but already digested enough to make you full

letting the outside world affect your inside world

and that whole process was only 10 minutes

yet sent you into a tailspin

full-fledged reactive mode

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I’m not mad at you

for driving like that

i’m disappointed in myself

for letting you

affect my morning

for giving you permission

to occupy space in my mind

at the end of the day

it’s not you, it’s me