Thursday, August 21, 2008

Common Public Courtesy

I walk or ride my bicycle to work and my new nemesis in this venture is the industrial ride-on mower and the people who operate them. For some reason they feel no shame in spraying me with dust, grass clipping, leaves, and the like as I pass by, when they could simply turn the machine off, or to idle, wait for me to pass, and then begin. I must say that one incredibly nice man does indeed do just this, smiling politely as I yell over to thank him profusely. This man is eternally in my good graces. All of the other people, well, let's say they are not so. I have been blown over by a leaf blower, dusted head to toe with dirt as a mower passed close by on a track with no grass, and blown with a shower of grass clippings, and that is just in the past two weeks.

I realize you all have a job to do, but, please, think of the allergic, the asthmatic, the freshly showered people of the world--I beg you, idle your engine as I pass so that I may enter my office not smelling like I bathed in dirt and grass, I promise I will be cheerfully enamored of your kind consideration.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I cut through the ritzy, country club neighborhood to get to work and the people mowing the golf course/lawns there are notorious for doing this. It's so rude and careless.

The Domina said...

I know! And it seems like the company here mows and leaf blows 4 days/week, the same spot all the time.