The Courtesy Jog

Ever been in your car and had to slow down for a pedestrian and the person you so courteously slowed down for does a little courtesy jog, just to show he or she is grateful?  It’s funny, but it sort of closes the deal, doesn’t it?  You slow, he/she exaggeratedly jogs across the road and you zoom off.  All is right in the world.

But it’s lame isn’t it, when you slow down and the pedestrian gives nary a notice to your politeness?  It’s almost the equivalent to not getting a tip when you’re a waitress or waiter.  A tip is just sort of extra, a little bonus.  As a society, we’ve made the tip something inflated, something to be expected, but to some degree it’s unnecessary, just like that courtesy jog.  It’s totally unnecessary for the pedestrian to pump their arms and lengthen their strides just to convey to you, the driver, that they are trying to hurry across the road, albeit a cartoon-like pace.  Yet, it’s the pedestrian’s tip.  And you, the driver, appreciate it. 

Aren’t we such a funny people? 

Yesterday, I went to a Kids Market before the baby shower.  If you’ve never graced a Kids Market, let me give you a little description.  It’s like a big warehouse filled with assorted kids clothing, toys, furniture, etc.  It’s like a gigantic yard sale.  This was my first time at a Kids Market.  Next time, I’ll eke out several hours to partake of that shopping adventure, not 30 minutes.  It was like Wal-mart at Christmas, gobs of people toting colorful plastic kids toys, grocery carts piled high with assorted clothing, metal poles of broken down baby swings poking their way dangerously through the aisles.  It was a mad house. 

There I was, sifting through racks and racks of size 7 kids clothing, trying to determine if this particular dress would make my daughter’s dress code, examining this certain sweater for holes or color distortions, tsking at prices (for real, just because it has a Gap Kids tag does not mean that a simple shirt needs to be $10.00, come on people).  Anyways, so here I am, making my way down this giant garage sale rack, playing chicken with another mother laden with her merchandise.  We meet somewhere in the middle and, in effort to show her I was a polite, civilized shopper, I sort of did this very exaggerated step to the side, lest we collide.  I even did this stupid giggle, like fancy meeting you here, please excuse me, no really, you first…it was the shopping equivalent to the courtesy jog.  Completely unnecessary.  I could have silently moved aside with as little movement as was required, but instead I did an awkward, oops, pardon me move. 

Can you think of any other silly things we do like that?