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01/27/2005: "Patience is a virtue"

I'm not patient. Not at all. I don't like waiting, and any time I have to, the time I spend waiting is filled with me cussing and muttering about how much I hate waiting.

I am patient, however, when it comes to waiting for the "walk" sign when crossing the street. Especially in downtown Chicago.

Most people aren't. Most people try to get a head start by walking out as soon as the traffic gets a yellow light or by trying to dash across in gaps in the traffic. These people will typically get huffy with me when I just stand at the corner waiting for the green "walk" sign. These people will typically come thisclose to getting hit by cars.

Drivers in downtown Chicago do not slow down for pedestrians walking against the red "do not walk" sign. They also, like most drivers, do not stop when they see the yellow light. They push it, regardless of how many pedestrians are in the way.

So while I'm pretty damn impatient, I'm patient enough that I'm not willing to risk getting smushed. My time isn't so valuable that I'm willing to get hit by a car just because I could shave an extra five seconds off my commute.

Replies: 2 Comments

Once while I was waiting for the "walk" sign to appear, someone pushed past me and announced, "YOU CAN GO NOW, YOU KNOW."

The guy behind me said, as she walked out into traffic, "Yeah, and get hit."

Heheheh. You're not the only one.

melantha, Thursday, January 27th

Melantha, with you around, I'm NEVER the only one! :D

Brooke, Thursday, January 27th