The Inside Out Umbrella

Winter is encroaching upon us.  The temperatures dipping south of zero degrees Celsius, our mornings we're greeted with frosty windshields and sheer winds.  This morning was warmer than it has been, but the normally crisp mornings was replaced with a cold drizzle, mixed with periods of sleet and snow.

I was within the comforts of my warm vehicle, hot air blowing on the windshield and encompassing my face.  As I drove down the grey-coloured street, I glanced to my right, noticing a lone monstrous figure slowly cruising westward on the sidewalk.  Obviously too obese to make the trek on foot, they opted instead to do so using a motorized scooter.  In an attempt to reduce the soaking they would get from the weather pounding them in the face, they attempted to shield themselves with a solitary umbrella.  However, the winds, though not torrential, was still strong enough to turn their rain saving device, inside-out.

I know it's not polite or in good taste to laugh at those less fortunate than ourselves, but I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.  Perhaps if the person was stricken with a valid handicap, the odds of my laughter would have been lessened.  I don't consider obesity to be an actual handicap and therefore, I have no feeling of guilt about laughing at the absurd sight.

If Stupidity is a Handicap, Then We Are Doomed!

While awaiting my turn in line at the Wal-Mart, a young mother was unloading her cart in front of me.  Accompanying her was a small child and another who was visibly older.  The eldest child was fidgety, picking at the magazines and candy in the impulse lane, finally setting her attention on a cold bottle of Coca-Cola in a nearby cooler.  "Mom." she said, trying to engage her mother.  "Mom!!  Can I have?"

The pencil-thin young woman turned to her daughter, allowing me the first real look at her.  She was a frail thing, who didn't look very old.  The eldest daughter was clearly over the age of ten, possibly entering her teens, so I speculate that she was a teen mom.  Her frame was petite as were her facial features.  The only prominence that this woman had, were a small cluster of stars tattooed over her left eye.  They appeared to be fairly fresh, although, there wasn't any redness or swelling accompanying them.

"NO!!" the young mother said sternly, shaking her finger, "You need to learn to spend your money more responsibly.  Don't waste it on frivolous things."

I smirked at what she had said.  Not that saving your money for smarter purchases is a preposterous notion, but that such sage advice would come from a person who had recently wasted money on getting stars of varying sizes tattooed on her face.

I thought nothing of it, beyond that.  I paid for my goods and ventured outside, where I met up with the able-bodied family once more.  This time they were climbing into a shitty little red Chevy Cavalier, parked in the handicapped spot nearest the door.  It is sights like this that bother me.  If you're not physically incapable of walking a few extra meters, then you shouldn't be taking up those spots.  It doesn't matter if you have the handicapped placard in your window.  If the handicapped person is not with you, don't f*cking park in the spot, because the last time I checked, stupidity wasn't considered a handicap.