Having a Right is Not the Same as Being Right

I went to start the dough for sticky buns for the inquirers class at church that Russ and I run on Sunday. I don’t know what made me decide to do this, but I thought I had all the ingredients. After warming the milk and adding the brown sugar I went to search for the yeast. I know I should get all my ingredients out first, but since this is a multi-day bake I did not. Turns out the yeast I knew was is the cupboard was four years past expiration. So off to the Harris Teeter I went.

My Harris Teeter sits down in a hollow so as you are approaching your car is at the top of a hill. From that vantage point you can see down into the parking lot, unless the sun is low, as it was this afternoon.

There was a car ahead of me who was going perfectly slow for a parking lot. A white man with grey hair walked out between two cars with his head down and without stopping and looking up was almost hit by the car in front of me. The man just kept walking, but the woman in the car in front of me of me sat frozen, obviously scared to death about what most happened.

She pulled into a spot and I pulled into the one next to her. We got out of our cars at the same time and I asked her if she was all right. She said, “I almost hit that man. I didn’t even see him.”

“I saw the whole thing. He was not looking up and just barreled out between those cars. I am sure that was scary.” I reassured her. She just put her hand to her heart and took a deep breath. We both walked carefully across the the parking lot, waving at the cars and looking both ways as we did.

I went straight to the baking aisle and came upon the grey haired man who was studying the powdered sugar like he didn’t know that confectioners sugar was the same thing as powered. Me, being me, went right up to him and said in my nicest tone (which we all know might not sound that nice), “I know you have the right of way as a pedestrian in the parking lot, but it is always a good idea to look up and wave at any moving cars to make sure they see you.”

“They have to stop for me. People drive too fast in the parking lot and they almost hit me all the time.”

“I’m sure no one wants to hit you, but if they don’t see you…”

He cut me off, “I am in the right.”

“Sure, but if you are dead it is hard to gloat about it.” And I walked away.

I thought about it a minute and maybe I was wrong. I’m not sure everyone doesn’t want to hit that guy.