Near my house there is a large forested park that spans more than one hundred acres. The woods are massive and throughout them are countless foot trails as well as a few one-way paved roads.

Over the past three days, there have been heavy thunderstorms that brought strong winds and the threat of tornadoes. The rain was relentless and the weekend was a complete washout. On Sunday afternoon, however, the clouds finally parted and the sun reemerged to inspire a flock of visitors to the park.  I was among them.

I had set out my bike and was completing the paved, five-mile loop through the park. Most of the traffic along this road was joggers and fellow bikers, although cars routinely crept through as well. This particular road winds up and down the side of a steep hill and includes a section of three consecutive blind curves near the hill’s peak.

As I rounded the last of these curves, I came upon a line of traffic. The cars were stopped behind a maintenance crew which was clearing a fallen tree from the road. There was enough room for bikers to pass, however, the cars were unable to get by and were stacking up on the road. The amount of debris and sawdust indicated the men had been chopping and removing pieces of the tree for quite some time.

As I biked through, I heard the crewmen laugh about the “idiots” who didn’t understand the road was closed. They were mocking the drivers who’d been shocked to learn the winding, one-way road they were traveling was now suddenly blocked. There had been no signs indicating the road was out nor any other forewarning of this possibility. Yet, these men felt this road closure was something each driver should have somehow anticipated.

For the rest of my ride, I thought about those men. I thought about how ignorant their viewpoint was.  They were passing judgment based on information they had but that the drivers didn’t possess.  I also thought about work and about how I’d done the same thing last week.

The previous week, I’d gotten mad at Sharon. I hadn’t been outwardly angry, and Sharon never knew that I was mad at her. But, I was. I was mad that Sharon hadn’t known to verify that our approval memo matched the loan documents prior to closing. This error had caused a mess on the day of funding. I knew this was part of Sharon’s job, but I wasn’t sure if she knew that. After all, this was a unique deal and she hadn’t been with us that long. But, because I knew to make this verification, I’d assumed she knew to do it. It turned out she didn’t know, and I’d never bothered to ask. Instead, I’d just gotten mad at her and carried a resentment for the rest of the week.  

I act like this more than I’d care to admit. I often get annoyed with someone because I feel he “should have known better” when in reality there was no realistic reason he should have. I’m often bothered by someone’s request when, unbeknownst to him, I already have a lot on my plate. I’m often short with someone because I am hungry or tired, as if that person should have considered my state beforehand. I often behaved just like those crewmen.

Most people and most situations deserve more patience than I typically offer. Most people deserve to have their side of the story considered. Most roadblocks can be avoided with a little more communication and a little more understanding.