There are still other people in the world. I know that sounds silly, but I also know that if you’ve been quarantined at home for a couple of weeks you might lose track of that simple fact.

It’s easy to consider others when you’re reaching out across a computer connection. People still exist in the real world too. This is not some bizarre Martrix variation. I am putting this out there because of a small incident from early this morning.

I am fortunate to be among those who are still working. There are a lot of folks out there that aren’t and that’s causing people to make some difficult choices. Because I am still working, I am still on my regular old schedule. On that schedule I am up relatively early ~ and generally out the door for a brisk walk of a mile or more every morning around 5:30 am.

For a community on “lock-down” and under a government mandated stay at home order there were a LOT of people out there, including the local share-a-ride bus. Again, at the risk of sounding silly a couple of dozen cars out and moving that early is a lot. I am very aware of my surroundings while I’m out like that. It’s early, it’s dark most days and I have no desire to be accidentally run over by somebody that hasn’t made it to the local coffee shop to “wake up” yet (that’s an entirely different discussion for a later date).

When I was walking up to one of the intersections a car from the neighborhood down that street rolled up almost to the corner and stopped abruptly. I normally take the crosswalk and keep chugging along, but I hesitated and slowed down. The driver of this car – a young lady that I’m certain was on the way to some kind of work deemed life sustaining – while still in gear, opened the driver side door. I thought perhaps she was going to ask something or was in need of assistance. I stopped and waited. While I was watching from the sidewalk on the passenger side of her car she proceeded to search around insider her car as if she’d lost something. Ducking down below window level, craning back over toward the back seat… generally looking scattered.

Here was my thought process: IF you’re looking for something, take your car out of gear and put it into park. IF you can’t figure out how to turn the dome light on in your car without opening the door, perhaps you should pay more attention to how to operate this machine you’re in charge of… IF this young lady couldn’t manage to handle those two basic things there was NO WAY I was going to walk in front of her car to cross the street. Not happening, no matter how much reflective stuff I have on.

Here’s the part that prompted this post. As I went around the back of her car to continue my walk something reflective must have caught her eye since I was walking through the light of her brake lights. She looked shocked and shaken that somebody else existed in the world. I had my headphones in, but I think there might have been a squeak that came out of her car that had nothing to do with car parts needing oil. She proceeded to stare at me as I walked away for a really long time. I almost wanted to go back and ask her if she was OK – but when I was probably 20 or 30 yards away and looked back I heard the car door slam shut and she pulled around the corner.

I know that stay at home orders are challenging. Please don’t forget that eventually you will need to go out and deal with real people in the actual, physical world again. You’re going to need to be extra vigilant to avoid people that forget there are other people in the world…