I will be the first to admit that the routine of every day life can sometimes annoy me much more than it should. The mother on a flight with a kid that won't stop crying, long lines at the grocery store filled with selfish people who are preventing me from getting home or having the wrong food brought out at a restaurant. Small things that all lead to an insane amount of petty frustration that is shared by just about everyone at one time or another. Its really hard to not let things like that get to me even though I realize how absurd it is to think that I am the center of the universe, but every once in a while the universe kicks you in the ass and reminds you of that fact.
My grandpa has been fighting cancer for a few years and has unfortunately been in the hospital for about a week straight. Naturally, my grandma, his wife of over 50 years has refused to leave his side. She is 80 years old and hates driving but has made exceptions over the past week to drive to and from the hospital before it gets dark out (when no one else can drive her). The image of her driving is the is the same image that would normally drive me bonkers. Why is this old woman slowing down the pace of traffic? She is forcing everyone around her to change lanes! Why is she even driving at her age? Just get off the fucking road and let me get home! It's an inner monologue I've had more than once. But today I remembered that that old woman slowing down the pace of traffic was going to be my grandma. And I remembered that my grandma prefers not to drive but she just spent the last 10 hours in the hospital with her husband and wants to get a few hours of sleep. I remembered that there are a lot of grandmas out there in similar positions and my frustration at them is completely unwarranted. And I remembered that there are going to be a million other situations like that in our lives and we would all be better served if we remember that the universe doesn't revolve around us.
P.S.
To anyone driving behind my grandma tonight, I apologize!