Me first

I parked illegally on the wrong side of the street as I checked my phone messages. The University vicinty side streets lined with cars and there was no where else to stop. I felt this was not a busy street, I should only be a minute. Two or three cars came along in what seemed to be succession and struggled to get around me. I tried to finish quickly. Then a car came behind me and another to my left. They rallied with each other to get past. I dropped my phone and put my car into gear and tried to move quickly - and yes I was irritated. The tires spun on the icy shoulder and I could not get going beyond a crawl. I gave it more gas. My irritation rose. Finally four blocks away I found legal parking and stopped.

As I told myself the story about how they shouldn't have been so pushy and there shouldn't have been so much traffic and then ranted about parking in this area, suddenly this other idea came creeping up on me. I was just as selfish as those guys trying to hustle around me. I felt I deserved to parked illegally because I had phone messages to respond to. I, I, I, me, me, me.

I had behaved exactly as they had - with the intention to believe myself to be more important. To take care of myself, my desire first.
Man. So human. We all just want to feel important.

Then it struck me, the question is: Does this action support me in BEING me?Am I expressing the values and virtues that feel right to me? Why do I need to feel important? That morning I did not.

That question seemed to open Pandora's box.