Dodging Cars

An old man with a walker, crossing the street.

Dodging Cars

“Sometimes it feels as if you’re driving in a race!” I said to myself as I changed lanes to get into a position to exit the 215 Freeway onto Union Park Avenue on my way to the office.  Traffic was heavy, even though it was a little late in the morning, about 9:45 am.  I made the turn, south on the off ramp and scooted onto south Union Park Avenue.  Then, I passed through two traffic lights and was just beginning to feel as if I was home-free when there was a commotion just in front of me, before I started up the hill toward Union Heights.

A young man, who looked to be in his early thirties, had parked his SUV on the side of the street.  I watched with growing interest as he began to dodge cars through three lanes of traffic in an attempt to reach the median.  I slowed, held my breath and allowed my eyes to track him as he went.  I worried.  I wondered.  I watched.  As he was about to reach the middle of the road I saw his true objective.

There was an old man just reaching the median, after traversing the three east side lanes of the street.  He was moving slowly, unsteadily in a walker! 

I watched as the younger man reached out, took someone’s grandfather gently by the arm and helped him step off of the raised concrete median.  Then he held out his other hand in a signaling manner to kindly as the on-coming, racing cars to slow and stop until they could walk together across the remaining asphalt to the safety of a sidewalk.  The whole scene made me smile into my rearview mirror.

“Sometimes it feels as if you’re driving in a race!” I said to myself as I continued up Union Park Avenue on my way to the office. 

“Sometimes it feels as if you’ve just seen the “Good Samaritan!” I replied to myself.

After witnessing one stranger proactively stop, in the middle of the morning commute, dodging cars, no-less, to provide for the safe passage of one in need, it seemed as if my car was floating on air.

A young man, who looked to be in his early thirties, had parked his SUV on the side of the street.  I watched with growing interest as he began to dodge cars through three lanes of traffic in an attempt to reach the median.  I slowed, held my breath and allowed my eyes to track him as he went.  I worried.  I wondered.  I watched.  As he was about to reach the middle of the road I saw his true objective.

His true objective was to help another, while reminding all of us that while it may seem as if we’re driving in a race, we’re still part of the human race.  One young man set a living example of a modern-day “Good Samaritan” to remind the rest of us that sometimes we need to do a little car dodging just to do a good thing.