Why Is Everyone In Amarillo So Impatient?

So look, I don't profess to have the most patience when it comes to things. I can admit that.

Having kids and coaching youth baseball is something that really taught me HOW to have patience, and because of that, I'm starting to realize just how impatient other people can be.

When I lived in Austin, everyone drove like a fire-breathing dragon was chasing them on the highway. However, it seemed to be the ONLY place people were in a mad rush. That was something I could live with.

Amarillo is a whole different story. My initial thought when I moved here was, "man, people drive pretty slow on the highway here". That still holds true today in my eyes. There are many drivers constantly a good 5-10 mph under the speed limit there.

It's once you get either to roads OFF the highway, or better yet, inside a business.

I've chronicled the number of red light runners before, so no need to dive back into that. One thing I can't seem to wrap my head around is how Amarillo drives in a parking lot. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've nearly been sideswiped by a car whipping into a convenience store parking lot as I'm getting ready to pull into a parking spot.

Or how about as I'm driving down an actual lane in a parking lot at the grocery store, and someone comes tearing through the middle of the parking lot. You know what I'm talking about, those people who drive THROUGH the parking spots to avoid other cars doing it the right way. Drives me up a wall, and somehow it's always MY fault for using the parking lot properly.

It's inside a store that I can't figure out to save my life. I mean look, I hate grocery shopping as much as the next person. I want to get in and out of there as quickly as possible.

I'm still courteous and nice though. I'll wait my turn to go down an aisle if need be, or I can be patient while someone is looking for an item on the shelf.

The last time I went grocery shopping though, I about lost it. I was bumped three different times by someone who was just beyond impatient. One of those times I was held up by someone grabbing an item off the shelf. Well, this person couldn't wait. They huffed and puffed, then just sideswiped my shoulder as they angrily blazed through the aisle.

As if that extra 3-5 seconds was going to make THAT much of a difference in their shopping time. I swear, that kind of thing happens more often than not here in Amarillo.

Can we all just agree that life would be a lot more enjoyable when doing those tasks we hate if we can ALL just exhibit a small amount of patience? I promise you, it'll go a long way.