Foul Weather = Foul Moods
It's been below freezing, with a bitter cold wind that goes through the parkas and gloves, for at least three days now.
Having lived in various parts of the country, including a couple where it's plainly and boringly sunny everyday, I've noticed that the general breaking point is three consecutive days of harsh weather before people start acting out in generally inconsiderate ways. This being my first winter experienced in over 15 years I'll have to see how this theory tests for Spring and Summer.
Here is a perfectly mundane story to illustrate how people commonly relate to one another here in Northern New Jersey.
My Tuesday afternoon includes a mad dash after school to get the Dear Daughter (DD) to her dance class on time. The studio is really active and there is absolutely too little parking to accomodate all of the dance students drop off and pick up. There is also another business (Business B) in this little multi-use building that has three reserved and coveted parking spaces with large signs that declare "Reserved for Patrons of Business B."
Yesterday during "pick-up" time, I had the pleasure of witnessing the blustery explosion of a foul mood. I gain this vantage point unwillingly during my 7th circle through the parking lot to acquire one of the legal and also coveted parking spaces for the dance studio (Business A).
As I round the corner trying to scope a space, I am disappointed to find none, prepare to make another round when the BMW in front of me parks in the middle of the exit way, the flashers come on and the owner runs into Business B. I'm trapped. There is no way out of the parking lot and the traffic is stacking up behind me. What do I do? If I could drive by this car I would. I have a baby in the car. I can't leave the baby to find the owner of the BMW with the drycleaning hanging in the back seat. I wait. Perhaps this person will be right back. Wrong.
The two people occupying two of the Business B spaces are also trapped, further burdend with armloads of children and not sure how to find the offending person. Turns out that they are picking up children from Business A.
Someone decides to go find the owner of the BMW. It turns out to be the owner of Business B. He's really mad. He's yelling at people saying he's not moving until the police show up to issue tickets. Meanwhile, the stack of cars behind us grows and now more people are angry and more people are yelling trying to find out why the normally slow moving and narrow pathway is ground to a halt.
Now Business owner A has to come out and help unsnarl the traffic tie-up.
In the end the BMW was moved and traffic resumed it's natural ebb and flow.
What did I do? I made a decision to express my peace activist side. I shared information with the driver of the vehicle behind me. I reported to her what I knew. "Someone blocking driveway, others going to look for owner to move car. Don't know how long it's going to take."
She rolled down her window and passed the information back. I'd like to picture that scene continuing in a dominoe effect. But I removed myself from the cold and the foul weather to find my daughter. Who, I am happy to report, was like a ray of sunshine, glowing from the exertion of her jazz class.
