Watch
out! It’s prime snubbing season out there.
I’ve been snubbed so many times in the last month that I have become
numb to the affronts. My therapist has diagnosed me with PSSD (Post-Snub Stress
Disorder) and thus put me onto an extensive regimen of proactive self-affirmations. Combining these affirmations with dietary
supplements involving consuming vast amount of fermented grain and barley
products, I am beginning to accept that I, alone, cannot change snubbing.
With
the loving, nonjudgmental support of my therapist, I have learned to cope with
snubbing by following a strict protocol that commences as soon as the snub
occurs... Each time I am snubbed, I have been trained to calmly dismount from
my bike, hold back my tears, and to shout out in a definitive fashion ten daily
affirmations. Note: Since I cannot
control the snubber, (only the snubber can control the snubbing), I can only
control my response to the snub (I am in control). In any event, calling out to
the snubber is largely a metaphor for my empowerment.
So
after being snubbed, I jump off the bike and with dramatic feeling, hands
clinched skyward, I call out ten healing affirmations as follows—1. I love
myself and I will not weep; 2. I believe
in myself and I will not weep; 3. I am capable of riding my bike; 4. I may not
be fast, but I am the star here, it’s about time I shine, your snub can’t hurt
me; 5. It’s my life, your snub does not hurt me; 6. I feel great, your snub
cannot change that; 7. Today is an awesome day, your snub does not change this
fact; 8. It’s my show time, not yours; 9. Your snub has not caused me to panic,
everything will be okay; 10. Hey snubber you did not win, I won.
So far
the ten affirmations have seemed to help and I am beginning to internalize the
notion that when snubbed it is not a personal affront to my physical and/or
mental being. I am actually starting to
feel empathy for the snubber.
Also as
a pseudo-student of sociological phenomena I am making an effort to essentially
compartmentalize my experiences as a victim of snubbery. In order words I am trying to separate the
personal pain and suffering that I feel when snubbed from the lofty goal of
understanding the snubber. The idea
being that if I can come to understand the motivations or psyche of the snubber,
I ,one day, may be able to perhaps work with the snubber to end his or her
destructives behaviors.
So far,
the professional me has been able to discern three basic factors that play into
complexity of the mind-set of the typical snubber. Factor one is the gear. You are much more likely to snubbed by a
roadie wearing a neon-green cycling jacket on top of one of the hundreds of absurdly
priced carbon road-machine models marketed by Trek or Specialized. When was the
last time you got snubbed by a guy on a Surly Cross Check? Factor two: Snubbers almost always have some fancy pants
gizmo stuck in their ears. Presumably
they are listening to some kind of aggressive music. They are disconnected from the sounds of the
street. To them another cyclist is just
another distraction. So sad….Factor three: Snubbers have somehow convinced
themselves that they are better off cycling, but they don’t really love the
whole cycling experience. They are out there because they think they are
cool…but we know different!!!!
