Prior to today, I used to believe that my father was the most stubborn person that I know. I think I took his crown. I made an impromptu trip to the Jersey Shore, in desperate search of a massage. I rambled on down the turnpike and realized that I had no caffeine in my system. I made a pitstop at the Dunkin Donuts and realized that I had made a big mistake. Cars were parked helter-skelter. Three of the cars were having difficulty getting out. I was the only driver that pulled in. One of the cars just pulled right up to me and the driver (and her husband) kept gesturing that I should be the one to pull out.

***

Stubborn, stubborn as a mule they say. I refused to budge. Why should I have to move? I was not going to pull my car out into possible oncoming traffic. I just sat there and waited for them to move. The woman was shouting, and I might have stuck my middle finger up at her, but I really didn’t care. I was not going to move, not for any particular reason, but just because I wouldn’t.

***

I continued my sojourn towards the Shore Points, listening to KISS FM’s homage to Michael Jackson. And then suddenly I realized, my GPS had randomly picked Jackson, NJ as my endpoint. I listened to MJ’s voice in the car, turning up the volume when Billie Jean came on, which caused me to miss the sign for the Garden State Parkway taking me 15 miles away from where I needed to be.

***

I thought about my stubborness. Nothing new. Was born like this. But I have now surpassed my father, which is really intense. And then the words played on the speaker…If they say why, why? Tell ‘em that it’s human nature…

The songs and the massage gave me the forgiveness that I needed. It’s not a huge chance that I’m going to stop being stubborn, but I’ll try to keep it more in check.