Most every day I try to get off my butt and take on some sort of exercise. In my case I either ride my stationary bike or just walk around our property. On this day in question I decided to challenge myself and walk down to the mailbox to pick up our mail. Round-trip from my house to the mailbox usually takes me about 20 minutes. For anybody else it probably would only take about half that time. I have included a photograph of me as I was dressed that day. Okay, I may look like a grouchy old man, however, am I really that scary looking? seriously? I was, of course, walking at my normal speed which might make me appear strange to a teenage boy, but that’s the best I can do.
As I was walking toward the mailbox I noticed a school bus had pulled up out on the highway. I did not know why because I had never seen the bus before. One of our neighbors does have a teenage boy, however I have never seen him. Well, the teenage boy did emerge from the bus. Please refer to the photograph below:
When I reached point A in the photographs I notice that the teenager began to walk off to the side of the road into an open field. I wondered where he was going. Then it became obvious that he was concerned of my presence on the road. I proceeded down the road toward the mailbox and the boy continued walking in the field by the road. When I got to a position which was even with the young man, I said “hi, how you doing” or something of that sort… however, the boy continued to hang his head and made no response. As I reached point B. I looked back and noticed that he had returned to the road and safely returned home.
In a perfect world, the young man would have taken the shortest path, passed me with a greeting or even asked if I were alright and did I need any help. I guess, in reality, we do not live in that world.
This is a very sad commentary on our world. I moved to Idaho because of the easy-going, friendly atmosphere. I was so impressed when I visited for the first time and a young man not only held a door open for me, he asked if he could help me with my grocery bags. Being from the dreaded California, I expected him to run off with my bags! Not so and within a few months I was a resident of this lovely state. Now I see the same old Calif. attitude and behavior in our youth. So having said all that I don’t think it’s your looks but a generation of anti-social kids who can’t communicate without a text or computer between them and a real person.
Hi Gary & Gwynne….I read the story and laughed and also went hmmmm….I think you set the wheels in motion…just by saying hi…you might plan a walk about the same time to see if you could be down by the bus just as he is getting there so you are closer…so that he can clearly see you mean him no harm….as a side note I notice in the picture that you took of yourself that you are not smiling….maybe try walking with a smile on your face…I know that may be hard sometimes when things are achy and not moving around as quickly as they used to…..but a smile works wonders….and if you light up when he sees you he wont walk so far around you…..happy walking….
I’m about as old as you are, and if I saw you coming with look on your face, I’d detour, too.
(:o)
The photo was posed on purpose to show how scary I can actually look. In this case the neighbor never got close enough to see the expression on my face no matter what it was. Thanks for looking.