As a teenager I sweared and cursed a lot. In my twenties I came the realisation that using words like that is unnecessary and can be hurtful to others. So I started training myself to stop using specific words like that. It was easier than I thought. Instead of shit I said chips, instead of cursing I used funny words that were similar or had some other hard sounds that helped to get some stress out. After all, the reason for profane words is usually a bad surprise or unexpected pain.
So when we had children I barely used words that I would not want my children to repeat. But this last year I have started using the bad words again and of course they were soon repeated by my kids. (Oops!)
Honestly, 2020 has been the most stressful year ever for most people, so it’s not weird that more stress has resulted in more swearing. My patience is running thin.
As my children get older, I get frustrated more and more by how people behave in traffic. Every freaking day there is an incident when we walk or cycle to school. On the bike, with two kids on the back seat, it’s trucks or busses overtaking you with you half a centimetre of space between you. Or cars speeding at 80 km/h past you. One wiggle and you’re dead. Or a car overtaking you to turn right just in front of you. Did not see you sweetie. But you just effing overtook me!
When we walk it’s the zebra crossings that are the danger. Cars not stopping when they see you standing there with kids, but speeding up to make sure they don’t have to wait for you.
Or worse, cars stopping and then driving right behind you while you and your kids are still crossing.
I tried really hard to teach myself to not curse these drivers to hell. I tried wishing their car was stolen/ their licence would be taken/ that they would have to cycle for the rest of their life. It did not stick. I want them all to go to hell. It makes me so upset when people can’t behave in traffic. As a pedestrian and cyclist you are so vulnerable! Honestly, it gives me nightmares. I really think that everyone who wants to keep a drivers licence should be obligated to cycle and walk around in a busy city before they are allowed on the road. Only when you experience it for yourself, you will realise the dangers of speed and mass.
Brussels will implement a 30 km/h zone as of January 2021 and I have high hopes for this. We need them to be stricter than strict, put camera’s everywhere. I am hoping this will lead to more people on bikes and fewer people in cars. And hopefully it will lead to me not swearing anymore.