Roads

Did some shopping today.  At our local Coles.  Normally I use Woolies, but I have found Coles to be cheaper.  I don’t go to the local Coles often, and chose to park away from the cars.  It only took three goes to park between the lines.
When I got out of the car, I needed to make sure there was no traffic coming before I crossed over to the walkway.  As taught, I looked both ways and determined it was safe and then used the walkway.  I felt safe there.
It occurs to me that walking between the lines is safe.  When I walked in the designated walk area, I knew that was a no go area for the cars.  That sort of did wonders for my confidence.  I was the walk master.  I was not distracted.  I could concentrate on why I was there (to get sausages and bacon.)  
I needed to ask an attendant where the bacon was.  It was at the totally opposite end to the sausages.   Seemed weird to me.  I got what I wanted and went home (not before I needed to look out for cars again though.)
It was no biggy, but it is good when something significant comes out of the every day.  Using the walkway sticks with me.  I guess because it has been like I was walking on the road for some of the places I have been.  As always it was my choice, but I ask myself, “why would I?”  There is no doubt the surface of the road is smooth and good to walk on, but one thing is common on our roads.  Cars.
Generally cars are bigger than me and generally doing a speed that would do me in.  Not to mention they are hard.  I would break before they do.
There are places for me, and the middle of the road is not one of them.  Bitter experience has taught me that.  Give me a shopping centre or home any day. 
When I am some place not made for an unprotected me, I am asking for it.  Bruce Almighty found that out.  He knelt in the middle of the road and was hit.  When he asked God why God said, “if you are in the middle of the road you are going to get hit.”  It is not like it is something strange or unusual.  Best not be there in the first place.  Kneeling is good, but it is best to come off the road to do it.
As Dylan sang, “sometimes you just find yourself over the line.”  In those instances, people do not knowingly generally say “this is the place for me.”  They get off the road.  That is the place for them.
As a pedestrian, off the road is the place for me.  Better safe than sorry.  Sorry is something for us all (we have all been there, and if not we are going there). But sorrow need not be perpetual.    Get it right and I am not inclined to go out on the road again.  Heading a warning about how unsafe it is for pedestrians on the road is best, but sometimes I am only convinced by experiencing how unsafe it really is.  For me, off the road is a safe place.