Have you ever seen the opening scene in Office Space where the guy is rapping on the way to work, only to turn down the music and lock the door when he sees a black guy selling flowers at the side of the road?  For those of you who haven't - here it is:

Well, the look on the guy's face right after he locks the door is about the toughest I get when driving in my car.  That's why what happened to me earlier this week was so hilarious.  Let's do a visualization exercise to hopefully give you a vicarious chuckle similar to the one I got on Wednesday morning.  I will try to be extra descriptive so you can really visualize the scene....

• You walk outside and it is uncharacteristically beautiful out for NJ in February.
  
• It's 50 degrees, the sun is shining, and it puts you into a good mood instantly.
  
• While you are getting into your car, you are also putting your work bag on the passenger seat. 
• You snag the side of your fingernail (on your right index finger) against the handle of your bag - tearing it away from your finger slightly and causing a purplish blood blister to form under the nail.
• But it isn't excrutiating pain, it's just feeling sorta bruised.
• So now you're driving down the road thinking about your fingernail and you're sort of flicking downward on it with the inside of your thumb - looking at it at the same time.
• When you pull up to a stop sign you see three Eminem wanna-be's walking toward you, about 50 yards ahead, squarely in the middle of the street.
• But you don't pass judgement, you don't think your usual 'get the heck out of the way', because you're in good spirits and also still a bit fixated on this bruised fingernail of yours.
  
• The suburban homies slowly (and barely) creep aside to allow just the absolute minimum clearance for a car to fit through.
• As you're passing them, you have your right hand up and extended slightly forward, knuckles facing you, and you're pressing on the side of your index fingernail with the end of your thumb.  
  
• Next, you look up into your rearview mirror and you see one of the gangstas noticiably riled - saying something in anger to his roll-dogs as he turns around and gives you the single finger salute.  It is the kind of scene that, as soon as you see it, you know that guy's day is off to a bad start.
• And you can't help but burst into hysterical laughter.  

Why am I telling you this?  Because the first thing I thought of when I saw him flipping me the bird was how our persona, the subculture we fit into, the role models we follow, and the lives we lead influence our reaction to everything that we come across throughout the day.  It was hysterical, because in this kid's misinterpretation of something that had nothing to do with him, I saw myself.  I saw everyone that finds problems in all sorts of things that aren't problems.  I saw Arnold Schwarzenegger obsessing over his "puny calves" in Pumping Iron.  I saw my own misguided fears, percieved inadequacies, and negative reactions.  

No, I didn't actually see all these things in that moment, but I felt it.  And all I could do was laugh because life is really good, and we bring the hardships upon ourselves.  I am no guru, but it sure feels good to have some self-awareness and not take myself too seriously.

Who are your roll-dogs?