give the "thank-you" wave to everyone who lets me go in front of them in traffic

I live in New Jersey where the urban explosion has been phenomenal the past 2 decades. My residence can be reached directly through the Garden State Parkway – South. Where I used to work in the Edison area, getting into the GSP via 287 has always been a horror story due to its singular exit. Try this route around late spring/early summer. Or better yet try it on a Friday around those months. A 5-mile distance from my former office to the GSP exit could take you anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes. This is where you see the people who drive alongside everyone who have decided to get into the exit lane 3 miles back, then unceremoniously and rudely would want to jump in front of you. Some would ask politely if they could go in front of you by trying to get eye contact combined with the blinking turn light, while others have the “I dare you to hit me” car/body language. I usually respond to the former kind but all I ask for is a small wave. Maybe he/she did… maybe a feeble one or one said under the breathe. How do we know? I do the same thing, I yell loudly to myself “Thank you” and try to make the appropriate wave. If the “space giver” did not see my wave, I am sure I was called many different names. I know for sure, I have yelled to the car in front of me: ” Thank you, a---e” annoyed that my courtesy was not acknowledged. Oh well, I was probably called that many times, but I swear to God I always made my “thank you” wave.

Whether it’s a habit adapted from my mother or one that I’ve adopted from other drivers courtesy on the roads, I always make a concerted effort to wave and thank other drivers.

I am afraid however I don’t bear the same tolerance as my mother does when other drivers do not show me that same courtesy. As Imoeris said so adequately in one of her posts ‘a malicious little thought’ creeps into my mind as I think of all the ways I can overtake, wipe off and pay back that discourteous and selfish driver who has taken my generosity for granted! Maybe ‘dealing with emotions’ would be a more appropriate goal…

I must say however that it is so nice when you are the benefactor of a courteous driver who makes way for you on the road. Somehow a small act such as letting them pass in front of you in peak hour, can have a domino effect upon everything that happens for the rest of the morning or afternoon. For though we may never meet this person nor see them again in our lifetime – their small act of generosity could change the course of our day.

I’m not sure that most people notice or care but it makes me feel good.
I know I like it when people do it at me.