Ordinary People

I often hear about how much I do. People see me gardening and say, “I could never do that and you are doing it on a scooter. That's hard work”  Hey, I’m only gardening, something I have been doing for about 65 years. Millions of other people garden in this world, daily and longer than I have.  What I am doing is not special; it’s what people do. Every day. It’s not extraordinary, people. Everybody does it. I am not an inspiration to anyone.

I drive my car. What on earth is special about that? I park my car, unload my scooter from its lift, drive it off the platform and then press a switch to raise the lift back to its regular position. Sometimes it sticks, maybe balks a bit. If that happens, I have a spray bottle of lubricant that I keed in my car that unsticks it in a squirt or two. Passers-by exclaim, “I could never do what you do.” Huh, why not? It certainly does not make me an inspiration to anyone.

By the way, do not EVER park in a handicap spot, no matter what. I don’t care if you will ‘just be a minute’, or ‘It was the only spot open’.  Nothing, no nothing is an excuse to park in my spot.  I only have 2 or 3 spots if I have any. You have parking lots full of spots. Don’t take mine. I will call the cops. I will notify the staff of the store attached to the parking lot. I will leave  you a note on your windshield that will make your hair curl. I will take your license plate number, make, model of your car and report you.  I expect you to extend courtesy to me, but, if you park in my parking spot, you don’t know what the word courtesy means.  Bet your parents taught you what it is. So what happened when you got your driver’s license?  Did you forgot about courtesy? Parking somewhere else is something I can’t do. And you can, so do it.  

I do ordinary things - every day. So do you. Don’t tell me how wonderful I am because I do ordinary things, just like you do.  And I park in handicap parking spots, because I am extraordinary. So there.