The Crossing Guard

Every day, when I drop my spousal unit off at work, I get stopped at the crosswalk while various medical staff make their way across the street.  It’s not enough that the crosswalk is some 25-30 feet wide or that they have a gigantic sign telling you to “Yield to Pedestrians in the Crosswalk.”  Nope, they have a crossing guard too.  Rain or shine, cold or hot, some poor parking attendant stands out there for three hours every morning telling cars when they need to stop or go…as if I would have plowed through the throng of people otherwise.

One day, I actually saw the blessing of the crossing guard.  This kind-hearted woman stopped traffic on both sides, when there were absolutely zero people waiting to cross the street.  At first, I was annoyed, but then a solitary squirrel, who had been waiting patiently on the sidewalk, tentatively scampered across the street as the guard coaxed him with a “come on.”  Having come into many life-defining encounters with squirrels over the years, I was instantly grateful for this crossing guard and for the squirrel who was courteous enough to use the crosswalk.