Have You ever Noticed?

Have you ever noticed? Maybe not, I dunno.

While you are wheeling down the sidewalk and other people are approaching, we who need more room try to meet like cars do. We stick to the right side and the walkers stay on their right side. Just like a two lane road. Works pretty well. Even groups of people and in this town where it's mostly tourists do the same thing.

Most women will step aside if the sidewalk is not wide enough for everyone. Most men will keep right on walking and as if they never see the women riding in a chair. Funny, that. It’s not like we can’t be seen.  I have a bright red scooter and it’s not small. It’s about the biggest that can be bought short of a 4 wheel ATV. But evidently, men can’t see red. Maybe it’s because we are lower to the ground than they are and just don’t mean much to them. I am often tempted to increase my speed and cause them to need knee replacement surgery. Instead I come to a complete stop and wait to see what they will do.  Usually they will notice the obstruction in their way and walk around. Sometimes.

In grocery stores, exactly the same thing happens. In the wide aisles, men walk in the middle, never wavering, striding where they wish to go. Little old ladies, walking or not best get out of the way because men get to go where they want.  Matters  not the age of the man. He goes where he wishes and expects all others to move from his path.

Teens are like that too. Groups of teens are normally texting or on their phones and don’t see anything at all. They giggle, talk constantly and act like piles of puppies in the middle of their growing.  These groups are most likely to make nasty and rude remarks about anyone using a mobility device. Even use of a cane will engender some sort of bullying.  Makes ya wonder who brought up these bullies.

Down the aisles can be a nightmare.  Here we see young adult women with phones pressed to their ears. Often the phone cannot be seen. Or maybe they are just talking to themselves. Use to be we gave those folks medication to control those symptoms. Now they just attach a phone somewhere on their hair or neck and talk away. Usually they are telling someone where they are. Nonetheless they stand in aisles randomly throwing things in baskets and paying not a whit of attention to a huge red wheeled machine coming their way.

Men again….stand across the aisle and search for what they need. They won’t wear glasses for some reason, so they have to stand a very long ways from the peas if that’s what they were told to buy. Most likely they will return home and say, ‘The store was out of peas.”  Mainly tho, they are standing mid aisles - just standing and looking. At least they have no phones.  I have found the best way to handle this situation is to stop just short of whacking them and just sit there.  Or ask them what they need and just get it for them. Chances are they will never notice a huge red scooter in front of them.

Middle aged and older women will do everything they can to accommodate the scooter rider. Almost to a fault.

All in all, moving around with assistance in a grocery store brings problems others don’t even recognize or recognize just enough to sling bullying sneers your way.  Wonder if that will ever change. 

I’m glad Amazon delivers.