Mea Culpa!

Happy sunny, brilliant Monday to you all! I got so busy yesterday (and then so tired) I let the whole day slip by without an entry:( As the title says, "I'm to blame." BUT...today has been remarkably busy as well, and I'm making a POINT to keep you all up to speed on my comings and goings/thoughts about life. So at least I've got my priorities straight today:) And toward that end, I'll tell you that I just got back from a little bus ride to the grocery store, and I remember why I usually get my groceries delivered these days. Don't get me wrong, the walking was nice, and the weather is absolutely perfect even with the occasionally blustery wind. But the drivers and the other passengers can be downright callous. The first bus driver I encountered made a point of telling me (before I'd even settled myself) I had to ride with my walker "on your knees", i.e. folded up. As if I don't know the rules, as if I'm stupid or just as rude as everybody else. And of course, there was a woman opposite me with her walker fully unfolded! It was somehow set back from the aisle though, so it didn't obstruct foot traffic. And I didn't really mind being singled out. I've been riding a lot, but there are a number of drivers who are new to the game around town. I took a deep breath, stared out the window a minute, and told myself to let it go. BUT, once the other lady with a walker got off, I noticed that the girl who took her seat was pregnant! Now I know one disability is just as valid as any other. But no LIFE is more valid than another. I mean, if I had to ride with my walker on me knees and this lady self-importantly got away with an open walker just because hers was set back--but a pregnant woman had to stand?!! That's when I get rankled. And I could sit here and make excuses for "Walker Lady" into the late evening hours. She didn't see the girl's baby bump because it was hidden under a bulky coat. She knew what she was supposed to do, but like Rosa Parks, she was too tired, and asserted her right to NOT follow "the rules." But that is something I truly cannot stand in another person; when they justify blatant rudeness with some made up scenario. Sometimes things ARE what they look like. Sometimes people just flat out don't care about anyone but themselves. Not that "baby inside" is a disability!! Far from it. But the purpose of those seats is to make life a little bit easier for the elderly and people otherwise suffering with mobility issues. Baby inside makes Mommy less comfortable, and therefore less able to get around easily. Ergo, it's my opinion she should get one of those darn seats up front. The whole situation, for me, is "cringeworthy"--'cause I really wanted to say something, and what I did say might not have been heard right, and therefore misconstrued:( So once again, mea culpa! But at least I said something. One of the prevailing ideals in society today for both safety and kindness is--if you see something, say something. Maybe it's not "prevailing" as a way of bringing attention to random acts of kindness--maybe that was just me saying it, wishing it was true. But maybe that's exactly why we need to say something. Unburden ourselves with the feelings of injustice we suffer, or make some one else's day a little brighter. This young mommy appeared again on my way home, and this time although there was enough room for her up front when she got on, she chose one of the regular seats for the "Able" in back. Sometimes we'd all like to feel normal. The way I stick out like a sore thumb on the bus and it makes me SO tense, I do not intend to forget how "abnormal" bus riding makes me feel any time soon.