Lately since I've been out and about more I've noticed the world moves a lot faster than I remember. Everyone is in a hurry and as a result people have become a hell of a lot less accommodating. Today I was taking the boy across the road and we waited for the green man. When he appeared we crossed and as we were halfway across a taxi sped right in front of us. If he had looked and could lip read then his ears would have burned. Instead the looked out the other window and reclined with a yawn- something my brother does when he is lying. A sure sign for me that he just couldn't wait and felt a little embarrassed about doing it. But done it nonetheless.
Its not a single incident. I have lost count of the amount of times I've had to ask school kids to move who when standing in a group see you coming but expect you to walk around them on the grass. The other day I had to push through two women coming the other way who strode side my side. One had a kid in a buggy and the other had two kids in a double buggy. Again they expected me to make way. Three times last week I had to stop at a zebra crossing near the supermarket because cars didn't stop. In fact today I was approaching the same crossing when two lads coming the other way had to stop suddenly as a car sped past their path. I could recite countless cases of ignorance and people who just won't wait.
And to top it off tonight my mum visited. My eldest daughter and I escorted her to the bus stop and waited for 20 minutes in the cold and rain. Finally a bus arrived but it wasn't her one. Then I noticed a bus pull in behind and went to have a look. As a passenger got off I noticed it was her bus so called her over but as I did the bus indicated to pull out. My mum tried to wave him. He saw her, smiled, waved back and drove off. Obviously he was playing catch up but he knew full well it was 40 minutes until the next bus and also saw a small child with her. I was livid but could do nothing as I helplessly watched the bus disappear down the road.
Its not the whole world. You do still find considerate and polite people. But they are the minority. And its not just me it would seem. My wife is in a constant fury when she sees able bodied people stepping out of cars in disabled bays and single drivers coming out of parent and child bays. There are rules but they are pointless when they are not enforced and their are no repercussions. So I suppose that goes for manners too. To me I see a lot of people who don't need to so don't bother. God I'm turning into a grumpy sod!
