Well yesterday turned into much more of an adventure than I had planned. Yet, it provided a moment of gratitude, and hope, that humanity might not constantly turn on each other. Without going into explicit detail of what occurred, Ill provide a short version.
My mom and I had to travel to the post office to pick up a package... I know what youre thinking. The post office?? Two days after Christmas?? Youre insane! And maybe so, but I had to do what I had to do. So we forced our elbows out, ready to plow down whoever stood against us with a problem.
Although really, we didnt expect a problem. We knew, more than anything else, it would be time consuming. It would be a test of patience. It would determine whether we could handle the busy street of Fletcher Parkway afterward, packed with cars heading to the same place we were - wouldnt you know?! But a problem did occur. And not only that... it escalated.
It began when a woman entered the parking lot going the wrong direction. If you know the El Cajon post office, Im sure youre already rolling your eyes and letting out a sigh of "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" (Even if youre not familiar with this particular parking lot, you understand the image and how irritating this is.) But it gets better. This woman began to back out, giving us all a little relief... only until we realized she was parked waiting for a spot from a leaving car... about to compete with the car directly in front of us - who was going the right way and following the rules. I know, I know. Well the dumb wrong woman won that battle. Obviously she was willing to fight a little harder.
Skipping some parts of the story, we were lucky to pull into a newly opened spot and walked into the post office, appalled at what we had just witnessed. Unfortunately the girl was two people in front of us, clutching her young son, looking around as if she was about to get jumped. You heard me, she knew she was in the wrong and she knew someone was gonna call her on it. I was proud that that person was my mom.
She looked directly at my mom, who took that moment to tell her that move was flat out rude. Not a microscale of remorse showed on that girls face as she began to argue with my mom claiming shed been waiting for 15 minutes and had no other choice but to enter the wrong way. My mom wasnt distraught or escalating, just putting her on notice that there are other people waiting, too. Not five seconds later, the woman who had been cut off, walks by and mentions how rude that was, then walks out of the building.
I had overheard a man saying he heard the wrong girl laugh when she got out of her car, as if to be proud of herself and stick it to the right car. All the while this girl was defending herself to my mom, he stood at the entrance, listening to what she was saying. Finally, he broke his silence. I wont give detail of what he said, but he put a cement foot down... hard to move.
[This story is turning longer than I had anticipated, but arent you captivated?!]
Needless to say, she ended up leaving, chasing the guy outside to have the final say. She never came back in and decided to do her business elsewhere. It was truly one of the most ridiculous things Ive ever seen - her not taking responsibility for being in the wrong, not apologizing, trying to justify her actions, arguing with someone who was older than her and therefore had more authority... It was terrible.But the entire experience was exhillerating. It gave me hope. People, who were not directly involved in the situation, joined forces to stand against an injustice. I know its a simple situation, compared to the massive issues we face today, but its a symbol that people still recognize right and wrong. And that people arent afraid to stand up for someone. It was exciting. If people will stand together against something like this (which, honestly, it was extremely rude) then theres no doubt in my mind well be able to stand together in the future, against the tough stuff and the simple stuff that still needs to be brought to light.
I know we still need a lot of help.... but for now, Ill cling to that situation. Ill hold on to knowing that there still are people out there who will be honest and uphold what they know to be right. Cuz after all, where would we be if we all were constantly against each other? We all need somebody to lean on...
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