note: the bike lane is separate from and adjacent to the pedestrian crosswalk.
the light changes and we all start to cross, but there's a lady walking towards me and the crossing cyclists, forcing all the cyclists to a halt. she stopped as well and looked up at us the cyclists like we the ones wronging her, muttering, "what the f#$%?"
as the cyclists, including myself, calmly and politely (honestly! we were calm and polite!) told the lady she's in the bike lane (and going the wrong way), she refuted by pointing out there was no bike painted in this 'crosswalk' and continued to act like she had the right of way, right in mind and right in law.
she eventually walked around us, rather unhappily.
as she ceded passage and i was able to bring my eyes back up to the horizon, i noticed a sign posted on top of a pole at end of the crosswalk/bike lane, directly in the middle of the two lanes. the sign clearly indicated bikes on this side using the bike lane, pedestrians on that side using the crosswalk.
i continued on my bike ride and wondered why the lady couldn't look up and see the sign; she only wanted to look down at the path.
instead of looking up and learning from an objective source where she should be, she was looking down and misconstruing a lack of signage or indication as to where it was acceptable for her to be.
i struck me that many of us walk through life in a similar fashion. we are so concerned of the world in front of us, we never stop to consider any signs from above us. even worse, this lady created a situation of "me vs. you", a classic dualistic situation where she wanted to emerge as victor.
i pray we all keep our eyes and hearts open to the world around us and also for signs from above our heads, signs that require discernment, signs that require patience, signs that require humility, signs that require empathy.
lots of love,
jo
the light changes and we all start to cross, but there's a lady walking towards me and the crossing cyclists, forcing all the cyclists to a halt. she stopped as well and looked up at us the cyclists like we the ones wronging her, muttering, "what the f#$%?"
as the cyclists, including myself, calmly and politely (honestly! we were calm and polite!) told the lady she's in the bike lane (and going the wrong way), she refuted by pointing out there was no bike painted in this 'crosswalk' and continued to act like she had the right of way, right in mind and right in law.
she eventually walked around us, rather unhappily.
as she ceded passage and i was able to bring my eyes back up to the horizon, i noticed a sign posted on top of a pole at end of the crosswalk/bike lane, directly in the middle of the two lanes. the sign clearly indicated bikes on this side using the bike lane, pedestrians on that side using the crosswalk.
i continued on my bike ride and wondered why the lady couldn't look up and see the sign; she only wanted to look down at the path.
instead of looking up and learning from an objective source where she should be, she was looking down and misconstruing a lack of signage or indication as to where it was acceptable for her to be.
i struck me that many of us walk through life in a similar fashion. we are so concerned of the world in front of us, we never stop to consider any signs from above us. even worse, this lady created a situation of "me vs. you", a classic dualistic situation where she wanted to emerge as victor.
i pray we all keep our eyes and hearts open to the world around us and also for signs from above our heads, signs that require discernment, signs that require patience, signs that require humility, signs that require empathy.
lots of love,
jo
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