On day on Pitt's campus, I got stopped at THE huge intersection at the Cathedral of Learning where there are four lanes going one way intersected by about 3 and 1/2 lanes cutting across. And man, if you get stopped at that light during a time when class are changing, you might get 100-200 pedestrians crossing at that moment. But on that day, foot traffic was kind of light.
I could tell that the light was going to change soon, but, out of the corner of my eye, I saw this poor little tiny old guy with a walker start to shimmy across the road. All of us waiting at the light kinda shared a "moment" as we realized that we were about to witness what would perhaps be the slowest street crossing in history. And even though our light had then already changed, here comes the old guy, four inches at a time with his walker. Clank...step, step. Clank...step, step. Clank...step, step. It was a bit painful to watch. But he seemed in good spirits. Just slow as a tired old snail. Clank...step, step.
Well, superimposed onto this was the presence of my car, which was in one of the middle lanes.
When the old guy got in front of my car, he turned, and slowly inspected it with a scowling, contorted gaze that only someone with that many years could generate. He looked at it like it was from another planet. And there he stood, just staring at it for another 4 or 5 seconds that seemed like an hour.
And then, he got a little grin, took one wrinkly old hand off carefully off the walker, and gave me a 'thumbs up.'
And then he turned and Clank-step-stepped the rest of the way on his journey.
In a way, it is one of my very favorite Sterling moments. Even that little old guy thought that it was something special.
I love that these cars can make ANYONE get a little, child-like grin on their face.
I could tell that the light was going to change soon, but, out of the corner of my eye, I saw this poor little tiny old guy with a walker start to shimmy across the road. All of us waiting at the light kinda shared a "moment" as we realized that we were about to witness what would perhaps be the slowest street crossing in history. And even though our light had then already changed, here comes the old guy, four inches at a time with his walker. Clank...step, step. Clank...step, step. Clank...step, step. It was a bit painful to watch. But he seemed in good spirits. Just slow as a tired old snail. Clank...step, step.
Well, superimposed onto this was the presence of my car, which was in one of the middle lanes.
When the old guy got in front of my car, he turned, and slowly inspected it with a scowling, contorted gaze that only someone with that many years could generate. He looked at it like it was from another planet. And there he stood, just staring at it for another 4 or 5 seconds that seemed like an hour.
And then, he got a little grin, took one wrinkly old hand off carefully off the walker, and gave me a 'thumbs up.'
And then he turned and Clank-step-stepped the rest of the way on his journey.
In a way, it is one of my very favorite Sterling moments. Even that little old guy thought that it was something special.
I love that these cars can make ANYONE get a little, child-like grin on their face.