Why you should never punch a shuttle bus.

Anger makes you blind and sometimes it even makes your hand hurt. I learned that lesson a few nights ago.

When I fly out of Nashville, I leave my car at a place called “Parking Spot.” It’s fast, easy and surprisingly inexpensive. You leave your car in their garage, and they take you to the airport in a shuttle bus. But they also have some town cars and even a few limos, so occasionally you get to roll up to the airport like you’re Diddy.

When you land back in Nashville, you walk out to a certain spot and they pick you back up. A few nights ago, I went to the curb and the shuttle bus was there. I got on with about 12 other people. The driver closed the door, and we started to leave. Out of nowhere, as we were pulling away, a fist hit the window at the back of the bus where I was.

A man with a suitcase was chasing the shuttle down like it was the last helicopter out and, in frustration, punched it while it pulled away.

He was furious, and I watched him throw his hands up in disgust on the sidewalk. What I could see, though, as I turned back was something he was completely missing in his fit of rage.

A stretch limousine.

Three feet away from him.

Waiting for him.

With the door open.

And a Parking Spot employee ready to take his luggage for him.

But he was so angry that he didn’t even see it. His anger told him he had failed. His anger told him he had been cheated out of the fastest way back to his car. His anger told him he had missed the best way home.

He hadn’t of course, but that’s what anger does to us sometimes. Anger makes us blind. When we let it get out of control and move beyond what can be a healthy emotion, anger prevents us from really seeing our options in a given situation.

Next time you’re angry and feel like punching a shuttle bus, take a few seconds to stop, gather your thoughts, and make sure there’s not a limo right next to you.

Questions:
When is the last time you really got angry? What was the cause?