Dear Nicolaas:

When the packaging dept. gives you an assignment at the last moment, that is annoying, and when it happens again and again, I suppose the annoyance grows, because this dysfunction is not a rare occurrence, it is frequent. When unsafe drivers risk your life and your property, understandably, the anger grows.

Dysfunction in the workplace is most common, and so is poor driving.

The serenity can come handy: “grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference”-

– -things you can change:

– if you haven’t done so already, talk to the packaging dept. or to a person superior to the packaging dept., and tell them this last-moment operation is not necessary and it .. hurts employee morale, that is, it pisses you off. Be assertive that way.

– take a different route to and from work, if there is an alternative route, be it a longer one that drivers who rush… are not inclined to take. Drivers who don’t rush are less inclined to drive unsafely.

– make it to work earlier, just to avoid last minutes drivers, those who rush, that is.

–things you cannot change:

– there will always be some unsafe drivers sharing the road, so make sure you drive defensively, be very alert and attentive. You can’t change how others drive, make sure you drive in a way that minimizes your risk of accidents and injuries.

– dysfunction at work and elsewhere is not the exception, but the rule. When you encounter such, and you feel angry, that anger is supposed to motivate you to do something to solve a problem. Ask yourself: is there any action I need to take to solve this problem. If there is, and it is a reasonable action, take it. If there isn’t, say to yourself: there is nothing for me to do. This thought (and conviction) will cause the anger to lessen and even be gone.

anita