The other day I pulled off a busy road into a parking lot. The driver behind me assumed I was heading right after entering the lot. He then speeded up parallel to me on my left. Fortunately I saw this before I turned my car to my left. No collision. Yay.

I’m seeing more impatience, risk-taking, and an "I-own-the-road" mentality lately. During a short 15-minute drive a few weeks ago I witnessed four incidents where someone had done the unexpected, including me at one point, and scared or irritated others. Honking ensued. (A side note: I wish we had more options for honks, like one for “just letting you know I’m here” and another for “my bad.”)

I vowed from that point to give other drivers even more leeway on the road and the benefit of the doubt in my mind. I certainly don’t need stress driving up my blood pressure. No pun intended.

Let's give each other more room. Enough room to make mistakes. Enough room to change our minds. Enough room for the unanticipated. On the road, I think this is technically called “defensive driving," i.e., intended to avoid an accident.

No matter what road you are on.

What if we applied this practical approach to other areas of our lives? What if we proceeded with our days and our plans as if things are not going to go as expected? What if we give others enough room to make mistakes, to change their minds? What if we give this gift to ourselves?

At work there is so much pressure these days. One common issue I hear is not having the room to do a job the right way the first time. It's become a luxury. And yet, with a skosh more planning or prep, we could allow for the unanticipated. We could avoid an "accident."

Whether on the road, at home, or at work, let's see what happens when we give each other a little more room.