Giver or a taker?

A few days ago, my husband and I took Noah to the Icelandic "Zoo". It's really more of a family park with a few rides like a carousel, bumper boats, and some bouncing ride. Oh, and they have a few farm animals, and some seals. And a botanical garden right by.

It was my first time going, and we met up with a friend we hadn't seen in a while. There was live music playing, and it was an absolutely beautiful day.

Well anyways, Jonas and I get there, and put Noah into his carriage and start heading in to meet our friend. It's pretty crowded, because of the live music being played, and as we are walking down the paths, there are tons of other mothers with their strollers and such as well.

Something that I noticed after a few minutes of trying to go against what appeared to be a rush of traffic, was that everyone who was walking against us walked as though they owned the path, and even though there was room on the other side of the walk, they only used the "coming in" side of the path. I say it like this, because isn't there some unspoken rule of walking in certain places, like while driving? As in, the people going against you should be to the left, while you should stick to the right side of the path? Invisible "lanes" perhaps?

I suppose I was raised to think that there was a courteous way to walk.


But Jonas and I had such a difficult time getting to our destination! Everyone coming against us seemingly refused to move their own path to get out of ours, even though we were on the farthest right edge, practically in the grass. And Jonas and I struggled to weave in and out of the people. I realize I am probably painting this mental image to include way more people than there actually were, but it was a pretty narrow path.

It just got me thinking, "Why are Jonas and I the only ones moving out of anyone's way, and being considerate?". It made me question myself a little pit. Am I some sort of pushover? Can people instinctively tell that I would be the one to move out of the way? If I didn't move out of the way, would the people rudely run into me? Is my being considerate causing people to think of me as an easy target to walk all over?

Most parents weren't even bothering to try and make sure their children wouldn't get in front of our carriage while walking past us. It was pretty frustrating.

Sometimes I find myself amazed by how people can treat strangers. How sometimes it seems people's arrogance are just overwhelming. Some people who drive treat each other terribly, while not allowing a person to go in front of them at a red light, even though it won't really change the timing of their arrival by but 20 seconds or so. I drive with such consideration, maybe too much even.

Maybe we should all take a second and think about what type of person we are, really. And maybe take a few extra seconds out of our life to be a little more considerate of your fellow stranger. Good deeds do not go unnoticed. I definitely think you get what you put out. You can change someone's day with just one second of consideration!

Here is a picture or two from that day, as pictures are always delicious on a blog post!

Me & the boy.


The seal.