The crossing of the boy, dog, soft drink and cell phone
I worry about people.
Of course, I worry about people I know and love. I want them to be happy and safe.
But, sometimes, I worry about people I don’t even know. People I will never meet. People who cross my path for only a few moments.
That was certainly the case on a recent lunch hour. While I was waiting for the light at Spring and Riverside, I observed a young man walking across the street.
It always makes me nervous watching pedestrians trying to get from corner to corner here. It’s probably the busiest downtown intersections with a web of unusual traffic patterns.
It doesn’t really matter which side you’re crossing. You’re taking your life into you hands.
I was very worried about this young man, though. He looked to be about 15 or 16, so I’m not sure what he was doing out of school on a weekday.
But he was holding a puppy in his right hand. It was a precious little dog. He had just a few fingers wrapped the puppy, and I feared the puppy was going to jump out of his hand.
That wasn’t the only treacherous part. In the same hand as the puppy he had a bottle of Mountain Dew. He clasped the top between two fingers. He held a cell phone up to his ear with his other hand. And his saggy, baggy shorts were hanging way below his waist line.
So, when he tried to hurry across the last few lanes to beat the rush of oncoming traffic, he was juggling a dog, a soft drink, a cell phone and trying to find a free hand to pull up his beltless pants as he waddled across.
I really didn’t think he had a chance.
He made it. It was the miracle of my lunch hour.
I don’t know what happened on the next street. Or the next. By then, he was off my radar screen.
I wonder if he knows how much I worried about him. And the dog. And the cell phone. And the Mountain Dew.
Of course, I worry about people I know and love. I want them to be happy and safe.
But, sometimes, I worry about people I don’t even know. People I will never meet. People who cross my path for only a few moments.
That was certainly the case on a recent lunch hour. While I was waiting for the light at Spring and Riverside, I observed a young man walking across the street.
It always makes me nervous watching pedestrians trying to get from corner to corner here. It’s probably the busiest downtown intersections with a web of unusual traffic patterns.
It doesn’t really matter which side you’re crossing. You’re taking your life into you hands.
I was very worried about this young man, though. He looked to be about 15 or 16, so I’m not sure what he was doing out of school on a weekday.
But he was holding a puppy in his right hand. It was a precious little dog. He had just a few fingers wrapped the puppy, and I feared the puppy was going to jump out of his hand.
That wasn’t the only treacherous part. In the same hand as the puppy he had a bottle of Mountain Dew. He clasped the top between two fingers. He held a cell phone up to his ear with his other hand. And his saggy, baggy shorts were hanging way below his waist line.
So, when he tried to hurry across the last few lanes to beat the rush of oncoming traffic, he was juggling a dog, a soft drink, a cell phone and trying to find a free hand to pull up his beltless pants as he waddled across.
I really didn’t think he had a chance.
He made it. It was the miracle of my lunch hour.
I don’t know what happened on the next street. Or the next. By then, he was off my radar screen.
I wonder if he knows how much I worried about him. And the dog. And the cell phone. And the Mountain Dew.
posted by Ed Grisamore at 5:55 AM
4 Comments:
Some people just don't have a clue.
I was more worried about the dog.
There just comes a point when you have to say "let me call you back."
Too much "multi-tasking" is going on all around us and can lead to terrible results. Yes, it was a miracle you witnessed on that lunch hour.
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