Peace

I don’t normally address my photo of the day to anyone in particular, but I’ll make an exception this time.
 
To the Harley-Davidson rider who attempted to run me off the road yesterday:
 
I was out for a bike ride yesterday, and so were you, I cycling north, you biking south. We came together on a long, straight stretch of Oregon back road highway, the grass fields around us dry and golden brown. A moving truck, a U-Haul or something similar, loomed ahead of you, so you pulled out to pass. I was cycling in the oncoming lane, and you saw me. You had the chance to wait until we passed before coming into my lane – no one was behind me – but you pulled out to pass anyway.  But there was something in your stare that told me that your inching closer and closer to me was intentional. When you passed, inches away from my Cannondale, I clearly saw your handlebar mustache and “soul patch” under your thin lip, and I swear I smelled the corn dog you just ate at a greasy market in Grande Ronde just miles before. Oh, you could have waited, but you wanted to send your “message” to someone cycling on the same highway.
 
By the time I realized your intentions, I had time to raise half of the peace sign I’ve pictured here, and yell the two-word phrase associated with the gesture.  You buzzed by, close enough for me to pluck a hair or two from that ‘stache, glaring at me the whole way.  I’m not sure the reason for your anger, why it riled you so that someone on two wheels should share the road. I can only assume you’ve not evolved past the point of caring only for yourself.
 
After you passed, and I recovered from the start of the image of a Harley Davidson heading directly at me, what bothered me most is that it stayed with me for nearly my whole ride. While my thoughts stayed at your level, I missed much of a beautiful Oregon afternoon, the light breeze, the smell of dry clover, bees bouncing off my bike helmet, the blue mountains in the distance. I missed it because I allowed you to pull me down to that level. I’ll try to not let that happen again.
 
So today, I offer this gesture, the peace sign, both fingers instead of the one I sent you yesterday.  My hope is that at some point you can learn the meaning behind this hand signal, and to live with EVERYone else on the planet you share. Until then, Peace. Or…Peace. On. You.