We all know pedestrians are supposed to wait for the little white walking man to light up before crossing the street. Unfortunately, this is not always the safest moment for pedestrians to risk stepping onto the crosswalk.
Yesterday morning, I stopped at a traffic light and waited for it to change before walking across the street. There were no cars in sight this early on a weekday morning, yet I felt compelled to follow the rules – not for my own safety but to avoid the risk of getting caught jaywalking.
I had no desire to be seen as ‘out of step’ in my conservative little town. You never know who is watching (yes, my paranoia is showing) and I didn’t want to get branded as a ruthless anarchist.
So I waited for the light on an empty street. When I saw the light, I began to cross. I never left the cross walk, but I had to act quickly to prevent being hit twice. First, I jumped out of the way of an over-eager motorist who pulled up into the crosswalk. Then I had to scurry from the path of another motorist turning left into the crosswalk.
From now on, I am going to follow my own common sense, regardless of the rules and cross the street when it seems safe in lieu of when the law says it is safe. And so begins my slow slide into anarchy!
