“You’ll never know, how slow, the mom-ents go, until I’m near to yoooou…..” The lovely rendition by Natalie Cole, playing through my tiny mp3 player and broken headphones, as I quietly slide through the morning rush. I stop and wait as a line of people swiftly pass me, and I stall to avoid being tripped up. When I see an open space, I quickly slide through, and stand close to the stop light pole, and stick to it like glue. I stay out of the way, because the crowds are coming from every direction. It’s safer if I wait and anticipate where to step foot. I’m earlier than I need to be, but the crowds are unpredictable, so it’s better to be safe than sorry. The stoplight changes and we all charge across the road, like a stampede. A woman with a stroller looks frazzled, as folks do not clear her path. She slows down as she tries to pace herself with the impatient people. She sighs out loud, and rolls her eyes, saying out loud, and under her breath, “People!” and I agree. I try to stop the pushy herd and move to the right, in order to encourage people to give her some space. As I slow up, I slightly turn and mumble to the folks behind me, “She has a stroller….” My plan works, and she’s able to make it through. She passes by with no eye contact, and I know that she saw and heard what I did. I don’t expect a “Thank You” because the fast paced vibe is distracting her. She’s still annoyed and flustered, and I completely understand and relate…..

Regardless of the speed of the crowd every chaotic morning at that busy intersection, my manners never leave me. Never allow the chaos to stop you from acting right. It’s insane to me that even a stroller, is not enough for adults to prioritize safety. I wrote this all in one sitting, the morning rush never fails to amaze me.

Good night!

Love&Respect,

~Dawn Lovely

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