Compare and Contrast
A few weeks ago I was at Yonge and Sheppard waiting for the bus to head home. It was rush hour and there was a bunch of us at the bus stop. In front of us, a sea of cars waited for the light to change. As the light turned green, the flow of traffic was abruptly halted by a car that had stalled in the middle lane. We stared through the vehicle’s passenger window at the helpless driver while motorists honked impatiently behind him. Cars eventually attempted to go around the car but with little success. Finally, the light turned back to red and the driver was given some respite.
The action got more exciting for us onlookers when a pedestrian- young scruffy guy- started walking quickly towards the car while yelling to get the driver’s attention. The driver ignored the young man-even when Scruffy had made it to the car and was knocking on his window- until he yelled, “you need some help?”
Our bus arrived but from my seat I watched the young guy and driver push the car to the side of road. Totally blown away at this man’s initiative and compassion and a little sheepish as one of a horde of people who’d witnessed the entire episode and perceived the motorist’s distress as nothing more than spectacle. I was silently grateful the bus had arrived so we weren’t still all standing there when Scruffy walked past the bus stop. *resolves to do better next time*
And then there’s people like the napkin lady. I was walking through a building lobby with a tim hortons coffee that had spilled on my way there. I pop into a little food kiosk in the foyer and reach up to grab a napkin when the employee there remarks, “those are for paying customers.” I nod and tell her that I spilt my coffee and wanted to clean it off. She responds, “maybe you should have gotten napkins at tim hortons.” !!! i left the kiosk very angry and without a napkin!!! I shoulda bought a coffee off her and then taken all her precious napkins!!! blargh.