​A friend emailed this story to me. I have no idea who wrote it or even if it’s true, but the lesson it contains is appropriate given today’s stressful environment.

“One day I hopped into a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. So, I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ This is when my taxi driver taught me The Law of the Garbage Truck. He explained that many people are like garbage trucks.  They run around accumulating garbage in the form of frustration, anger, resentment and disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they eventually need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. When this happens, don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Life’s too short to let a ‘garbage truck’ ruin your day.”