I know I shouldn’t text and drive. We’ve all heard horrible stories about people who have made this mistake, and paid for it. Sometimes with their lives. It’s simple, texting while driving doesn’t mix.

It’s stupid.

It’s an unnecessary risk.

It’s poor judgement.

I’d be lying if I said I haven’t done it before. In fact, I did it yesterday. I was at a traffic light, not moving, and felt the need to respond to a text. I can’t even remember what the text was about, and who I “HAD” to respond to. Which basically means, it wasn’t important. At all.

I wasn’t moving, was at a red light, and in my mind, this justified my action. In reality, it’s still not OK to text, even at a traffic light.

As I was texting, I turned and glanced at the car in the lane next to me. There was an older gentleman, he looked to be around seventy, and he saw what I was doing. Our eyes met, and for a second we just stared at each other. He looked at me, shook his head in a very disappointed manner, and frowned at me.

I felt horrible.

I felt like I had been caught.

I felt exposed.

Thankfully, he made an impression on me.

In that moment, with that clear look of utter disappointment, I realized my mistake, my bad choice. I knew what I was doing was wrong.

I put down my phone, and vowed to stop doing this. I promised myself I would resist the feeling to check my phone, anytime I’m in the car.

I mean it.

I’m committed.

The light turned green, and we both pulled away. He went before me, and I followed. I don’t know this man, and probably won’t ever see him again. He won’t know the profound impact he had on me, in that one moment.

I wish I could hug him. I wish I could thank him.

But instead, I’ll share what I realized with you. If you text and drive, even at a traffic light, try to stop. It’s not necessary. It really can wait. It might save your life.

Try to pay attention to your surroundings, to what’s going on around you, to being present. We’ve all gotten so used to multitasking, it’s hard to just sit in the car, and pay attention to the road. But, do it. It might save your life.

Find meaning each day,

Dara