I misbehaved yesterday. I had finally had enough with the bad attitudes of other people. I thoroughly enjoyed my small act of defiance - and I'm extremely lucky that the other person didn't decide to harm me with things other than words. As I said, it was fun during and afterwards, but now, looking back in cold blood, it was certainly foolish. The following exchange had some "dirty" words included. I try to write a G-rated blog, but sometimes it isn't possible, as people (in general) have become so appallingly foul-mouthed.
I was walking on a narrow strip of sidewalk, on my way to the bus stop. Beside me, there was a 3.5 foot wide designated bike path, totally clean and totally clear of riders, that adjoins the street. A woman rode by me on the sidewalk, nearly knocking me down. Once she was past me, she tossed the word, "Sorry" over her shoulder. I projected my voice a bit - not really yelling, just speaking a little louder than normal: "You know, in Boulder, it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk when a bike lane is provided. The police can fine you up to $150." She slammed on the brakes and looked back at me, asking, "Who died and made you my God?" I smiled, and replied, "No one. I'm just speaking as a concerned citizen of the city of Boulder. I was trying to save you money and grief." She grunted at me, then turned back to her bike.
As she pushed off, she again, turned her head over her shoulder, and (this time) yelled at me, "Stupid fat whore!" - That was what set me off. From that point on I just parroted what she said back at her, without yelling. We were about 4 feet apart, and, as I noted, I'm lucky that she didn't use anything but words against me.... She slammed her brakes on and shrilly demanded, "What did you say?" Which I repeated back at her with the exact intonation she had used. After several more (six or seven) poor attempts at insults, she yelled everyone's throw-away line, "F-- you!" at me. I quietly said, "No thank you." She gripped her handlebars, put her foot on a pedal, and finally said, "You are just an idiotic bitch!" But she paused and listened to what I said in return, which was, "No, I'm just parroting an idiotic bitch, who has definitely not used her education to become proficient, or eloquent, in the use of English." She looked at me for several seconds, then charged off on her bicycle, still on the sidewalk, and muttering under her breath. I crossed the street and went to visit my psychiatrist, as scheduled. (I ran into my therapist in the hallway, told her what I had done, and that I had felt extraordinarily pleased with myself afterwards. She just warned me to be sure not to say anything like that to people who are larger and stronger than I am.....)
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