Welcome to the Commian podcast. My name is Jeff Krasnow. Many of you may receive my weekly

Sunday commusings article where I address a breadth of topics including spirituality, physiology,

and the sociopolitical. And on occasion, I will also record an audio version of these articles and release it here as a bonus episode.

So a little preamble before we get into today's episode.

I am no snail on the road, but you certainly wouldn't confuse me for Mario Andretti.

I tend to wool-gather behind the wheel, hovering innocuously five miles per hour above the posted speed limit.

Snug in the middle lane, I'll become engrossed in the piano stylings of Bill Evans.

Have you ever heard his astounding rendition of Danny Boy?

Well, you should if you haven't. Or I'll get immersed in an audiobook. I'm currently listening to a hunter-gatherer's guide to the 21st century. It's brilliant. I've given up on rushing because

every time I was in a hurry, I seemed to arrive

late. And a frantic journey is always a dismal one. So now I just enjoy the ride. Admittedly, my

equanimous driving style can aggravate those with greater urgency, and from time

to time, an impatient tailgater will lean aggressively into their horn.

In my younger days, a blaring claxon might have elicited a hostile reaction, but thankfully,

I'm getting wiser.

More than 550 people were shot in road rage incidents in the United States in 2022 alone.

So now I respond to belligerent drivers with an enthusiastic wave and a huge smile.

I give them the impression that I think they recognize me from somewhere.

Now, sometimes they'll pull up beside me at a red light, poised to scream expletives.

I'll just keep waving exuberantly and ask them if I might have met them at a Grateful Dead

show.

Generally, they are so flummoxed by my cheeriness that it pops their rage balloon and they move on.

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