More Painting and a Moral Dilemma

     It's been a wonderful week so far, with the weather being the deciding factor on how I spent my time. It's been too wet to work outside, so I painted instead. My first project was the linen closet in the master bath. No one will ever see it, but it gives me great pleasure to have emptied the closet, removed all the shelves, painted the interior and then neatly put everything back. Every time I open the closet to grab a towel it's, "Laaa! Clean and fresh!" I also found plenty of things in there to give away which prompted me to gather all my Goodwill donations and drop several bags off at the end of the day.
     The next day I gave a fresh coat of paint to all the interior doors. I've done a lot of painting over the years and without a doubt I can say it's worth spending the extra money on good paint and good quality paint brushes and rollers. I have three good paint brushes of various sizes that I keep hidden in my closet so no one will find them in the basement and mess them up. They've lasted thirteen years so far. For paint, my first choice is Benjamin Moore. It goes on like a dream and gives noticeably better results. For painting trim such as doors and cabinetry, I add Floetrol. It reduces brush marks and helps the paint glide on even better.
     For certain, painting gives a person plenty of thinking time. This is one of the things I like about painting (and weeding); it's quiet and thoughtful work. Unfortunately, what's been going through my mind is an incident I had on the road last Saturday. I was on a long stretch of empty highway leading up to our road; a section that I drive every day. I was in the right lane and needed to change to the left lane in order to make my turn, which was still another mile up the road. I checked my mirrors, did a quick shoulder glance, signaled, and changed lanes. Suddenly, I heard a horn sounding and when I looked in my rear view mirror, there was a car right behind me. This car had been in my blind spot and I had just cut them off! I was mortified and embarrassed. As I prepared to move further left into the left turn lane to make the turn onto my road, the other vehicle pulled up alongside my right and I I thought at least I would have the opportunity to signal my apology. I expected the person to be angry and annoyed, but I never expected it to be to the degree that I witnessed. That middle-aged man was furious. I have never seen anyone that angry towards me. He was red-faced and screaming at the top of his lungs, gesturing his middle finger at me as hard as he possibly could. But, what struck me most was the degree of explosive anger and the look of hatred in his eyes. In his agitation, his car swerved toward me slightly. His poor wife in the passenger seat was frantic; she was trying to grab his arm and calm him. All I could do was meekly mouth the words, "I'm sorry!". I turned off onto my road and continued home. Along the way, I kept checking my rear view mirror to make sure he didn't follow me because I thought it a real possibility. That man's anger and bad vibe clung to me all day.
     So here are my thoughts: I'm sure I gave that man a fright when I cut him off. I've been cut off so I know how it feels. But I've never reacted so violently towards a fellow driver. If we hadn't been in cars, or if we had stopped and stepped out of our cars, what would he have done? I don't know this man, but we live in a small town so what if I ever find myself sitting next to him in a restaurant or in church? What do we do when we make a mistake and can't take it back? How should we react to others who do the same?
     I'm thankful I didn't cause a terrible accident. Steve is constantly reminding me not to hover in people's blind spots when I'm driving, especially with the big semi trucks. It's good advice I will heed. I've also been extra careful of every lane change I've made since.