When I was a teenager, a police officer in Seattle stopped my friend, Shelly, and me, and threatened to give us a ticket. Our crime? Jaywalking.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we take jaywalking very seriously. In downtown Seattle, in fact, when you can look both ways and no cars are coming, you still stand on the curb and wait for the light to turn green. You will, or you will pay.
I like that. I like to follow rules. I like other people to follow rules. The world would be a better place if we all just followed the rules. (My rules, in case you wondered.)
The other day, as I drove along savoring my freedom, the lights marking a railroad crossing began to flash. I slowed to a stop, first in line at the crossing.
The crossing did not have a gate, only flashing lights. I could see clearly down the tracks looking both directions. Quite a distance to the right, I could see the train coming.
The rain puttered along very slowly. I could have run faster than the crawling train. Still. I sat, obeying the flashing lights.
I reasoned that I could go . . . now!
Or . . . now!
Or even . . . now!
But I sat. I waited. And waited some more. I thought, I could have gone twenty times already!
But I didn’t move. Finally, the train arrived. I could see the whites of the eyes of the train engineer. I think he was smirking.
I followed the rules, though. Never cross railroad tracks when lights are flashing.
I was that child in your classroom who shushed everyone, the girl who longed for the rest of the class to stop asking questions long enough for the teacher to complete the instructions.
I love rules. (But not these rules.) Curiously enough, I don’t want anyone to speak for me or tell me what to do.
But the Golden Rule? The one where we all treat each other like we want to be treated? (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Luke 6:31) I try to do that. I hope you try to do that.
If that guy tailgating me or that woman parking her shopping cart in the middle of the aisle or my kids leaving their dirty dishes scattered hither and yon would also do that, I would be grateful. If those drunks driving and those kids drinking and that cat pooping in my yard would also follow the rules, wouldn’t that be nice?
Also, if my daughter would refrain from waking me at 6:00 a.m., I would appreciate it. The day should never begin before sun is up and shining through the window. She, however, listens to the dictates of her stomach which apparently rumbled, “GIVE ME A DONUT NOW.”
I hate a predawn talking tummy, even more than I hate a slow train chugging down the tracks, wasting my precious free time.
Actual Unretouched Photo 
LOL, I went to college in Seattle and even there on the little campus crossing, I witnessed a fellow student running after an offender, yelling “JAYWALKER!!! YOU JERK!!!”
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In the province to the east of us — Quebec — many traffic rules don’t seem to be followed. While you might get a ticket in our province for not coming to a 100% complete stop at a stop sign, there, you seem to be able to get away with just slowing down.
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We are definitely kindred spirits. 🙂
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Although I’m sure I’ve heard of jaywalking before, I had no idea what it meant. I’ve now checked an online dictionary and am suitably enlightened.
I am AMAZED that it’s a crime in the USA!! Here in Cyprus, that’s the way we cross roads. Most of them don’t have official crossing places, and those that do are ignored by drivers unless there’s someone waiting to cross. We quickly learned that the way to cross roads is to wait for a slight gap in traffic on one side, and walk into the middle of the street, then traffic going the other way will slow down and let us over. That’s what all the locals do… it seems a bit scary at first, but it works. Much safer than crossing at traffic lights. The Cypriots are very careful not to run people over, but really not bothered at all about rules – mostly they stop at red lights, if there are other cars about, since it’s safer, but not necessarily.
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“(My rules, in case you wondered.)”
There’s where we all go astray. The MY always changes to a new name and new rule.
Thanks, from a fellow shusher, most-of-the-time rule follower.
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I’m pretty much a rule follower.
At home I have as few as possible and most of them concern safety and good manners.
And I don’t like people speaking for me either (as you may have noticed).
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Yes, yes, yes! The rules! Everyone MUST follow the rules!
I am the same way – following the rules, and desparately wishing everyone else would also. But an occasional – don’t tell me what to do! – will jump out. Isn’t that funny? Traits that seem opposite but that I possess anyway.
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You would be driven crazy where I live…we seem to follow unwritten rules…made by the pedestrians. I guess that is just one rule, that reads, “STOP..I am in the middle of the street!”
I have to get up early on most days, but when I don’t have to, I tell my four year old not to wake me until the 8 is in the front. She is improving in this area…:)
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