I wish you had been there. It was raining. Hard.
The light turned green on a four-lane, busy intersection in Carson City. That didn’t stop an elderly, homeless man from pushing a shopping cart full of soaked blankets, plastic bags and empty bottles to start his journey across the street. He moved turtle-slow, head down, oblivious of his surroundings.
A stack of cars had waited on a long red light, anxious to dash forward. I was the second car in the outside lane. The car ahead of me jumped forward, as did the cars next to me. After all, the light was green and the old man and cart were minutes away, just entering the inside lane. I chose to stop. The driver behind me blasted his horn. The cars next to me kept moving across the intersection.
Then, a young woman in a white Chevy truck pulled up next to me and stopped. Now we created a roadblock. Horns blared, but we did not budge. I was frightened for the safety of the elderly pedestrian, while feeling pretty proud of myself.
Next, my blockade partner jumped out of her car, dashed over to the man and slowly guided him and his shopping cart across the street. I was in total awe.
I found a new hero. She’s blond, bold and full of kindness.
James Madison