Stopping for pedestrians is optional.
So, I had a bit of a day out on the town, which ended up being a bit more exciting than it should have been, and not in a good way. I'd had several errands to run, and had put them off for today, since I figured a Monday wouldn't be too bad, crowd-wise. Because, even though I'm desperate to embrace the holidays, the traffic is something I'll pass on. Which is why I figured Monday would be safe.
Yeah, I was wrong. I had to run down to the post office, and ended up waiting in line for 45 minutes. And naturally, it was one of those situations where I was wearing a heavy winter coat, as was everyone else, and we were inside a small, crowded, heated area. I felt like collapsing from heatstroke. Ugh. And of course, I ended up near people who either had just finished smoking, or kept coughing and didn't grasp the concept of covering their mouths and turning away. (Oh, and the news just aired a segment saying this is the busiest day of the year for the post office. Did not know that. Wish I had.)
It also made me decide that, next year, I'm going to do Christmas cards. I like receiving them, and I'd love to actually be able to give them out.
I then wandered over to the mall, since the safest way to get to the movie theater is to cut through it. It was packed, and the parking lot was dangerous. Crossing certain sections of road took almost ten minutes of waiting, and drivers were rushing through, heedless of things like crosswalks and lights, and turning signals were optional. I almost witnessed an accident when one driver was paying more attention to something on her passenger seat than to the driver that had just stopped in front of them.
Anyway, my little mall trip made me realize something else: Next year, I'd like to do something for charity. The thought came from passing the Salvation Army people with their bells; I always feel guilty that I never have change for them, since I tend to pay for things with my card, and as I cruised the mall, finding things I wished I could buy for my family but couldn't, the idea continued to germinate. This year, I'm jobless, and still in shock, and it made me think about people worse off than me. So, next year, I want to do something. Maybe it'll be something as simple as volunteering my time, since I don't know how I'll be financially. Maybe I'll be able to do something more hands-on. I mentioned in an earlier post that I'd love to do caroling in costume; maybe that can be done for charity?
So... next year: Cards. Charity. Maybe those will help me with my Christmas Spirit issue.