Better Than Harmless

Last Monday I drove three hours to Spokane for an all-day meeting. In pre-dawn glory, I streamed past Walla Walla heading for open highway. October colors swabbed the land as I began thinking of the many unsung heroes in this sleepy little berg; people who toil thanklessly to keep us safe and comfortable. Suddenly I had an epiphany. It was as if a light had turned on and would not quit flashing.

I determined then and there to pull onto the shoulder of the road, stop, and make a sizeable donation to one such organization – the Washington State Patrol. A courteous officer gladly received my contribution in the amount he suggested, $95. In exchange for my gift he offered some sage advice: “Slow down.” (A helpful guy.) At $95 for five miles-an-hour over the limit, each mile was worth $19 – "Now THERE'S 'value added'.”

My one act of early-morning kindness warmed my heart through the intervening (slow) hours of driving until I arrived safely at my meeting. This is my story and I’m sticking with it. I made it up as an ironic explanation to my peers for why I was 30 minutes late.

The ticket was real; the “contribution” angle was a fantasy and an exercise in diversionary creative writing. “Minding the gap” sometimes calls for a little “revisionist history”. The flashing lights initially generated a sinking feeling and the ticket turned my stomach. But once on the road again I faced the choice of how to view the event. I heeded the timely reminder to drive safely and there was nothing more to learn. I could not change the occurrence, but I could “redesign” it. So I created my own story about it; a disarming and harmless pastime.

Better than harmless, it untied the knot in my stomach, made me smile, and colored the rest of the day a shade brighter. Here was one of the real benefits: Only one hour later, I noticed flashing lights in my rearview mirror, again. I glanced at my speedometer. “Hmm… only three miles-an-hour over. Should be cheaper than the last one,” I thought.

I pulled onto the shoulder and the cop sped past on his way to something more important. Not a drop of adrenaline spent; still in a blissful mood. Some self-chosen delusions are better than harmless.