An Open Letter

Dear sir or ma'am...

I don't know what your story is. I'm not sure what you were thinking. I do know that I, too, was frustrated when the guards came down on the railroad track as I was driving in to IHOP this morning...I had some place to be too, but I waited.

I'm not sure why you didn't. I freaked out a bit when you pulled around me to zig zag between the red and white arms and beat the train. I freaked out because I didn't know if you'd make it. I freaked out because I thought there might be someone coming the other direction who was as senseless as you were, and that the two of you were going to meet ten feet in front of me, on the track, just in time for the train to knock you both into the next age.

I was ticked when you did it - not because someone beat me across the tracks, but that someone had such little regard for their own life or for their family that they would do something like that. By my account, you saved less than two minutes on your drive time. Two lousy minutes...and it could have turned out very differently.

Next time, I'm going to try and get your license plate. Not because I'm vengeful, but because if you don't have enough sense to stop for a train, the rest of us will have to clean up the mess, attend to your family, and bury your carcass. Two minutes, buddy. That's all it would have taken to wait.

Have a nice day, and drive safe, everyone.