I entered the wrong car and luckily didn't get shot

It happened less than two months ago in Elgin, Texas. Two high school girls were in a parking lot and opened the door of a car they thought was their own. When they realized it was the wrong car, they got in the correct car and tried to apologize. That's when a man shot them. It's an event that should be shocking but in 2023, we are rarely shocked by any kind of gun violence.

Yesterday morning I decided to go to a neighborhood Starbucks. When I left, I opened the door to a car that looked like mine (there are a lot of gold Lexus SUVs around here). I almost immediately noticed it was the wrong car, but as I backed out of it, the woman who owned the look-a-like automobile walked up to me. I apologized, showed her my car and said “I'm glad you didn't shoot me.” She laughed and told me she would never do that, but then said, “You are lucky you picked the right wrong car to walk into.”

Think about how scary that sentence actually is. You can make what seems to be a simple, harmless mistake and if you're unlucky enough to pick the wrong person, it can cost you your life.

I guess next time I go to Starbucks, I'll double or triple-check the car before I open the door. That's America in 2023.