People Watching and Respect

As I said the day was nasty. The cold was toe tingling. The wind was indefensible. The snow relentless. I rode the city bus to my yoga class. I needed to zen my day.
I like taking public transport. It is people watching at its finest. And for some of us who actually enjoy this pastime, we all have our favourite places to watch and study.
My bus stop is a mere two blocks from my home. I catch a 12:07 bus. The westend downtown workers are oozing out of their buildings for their lunche time break. I struggle like a salmon upstream to my stop. And then I stuggle to stay put at the stop and not be carried away. I am learning slowly how to meander slowly out of the stream that is hell bent for the nearest Vietamese restaraunt. Once there I lean into the chain link fence that separates the sidewalk from a parking lot of a local spa and hair salon. This is the place where i can stop and wait. One step forward and I am on my way to a restaraunt. One step back and I am being nudged by the women who is attempting to park her car in a stall not made for her freaking huge Calgary SUV. This space is the place I noticed a blue rinse lady with her black bag gripped to her stomach and carying her cane in the other. Obviously she was trying to wait for a bus. She parted the crowd like moses at the Red Sea. It was amazing. Slowly she shuffled her way to me.
"Do you have the time?" she asked breathlessly. It was 12:01. Her face told me she missed the intended bus. I offered the fact that the next bus would arrive in 6 minutes. Well no she knew if she went kitty corner their would be another bus that would take her home. However she went on to say that she really wasn't in a hurry because all she had waiting at home was the duster. It's a blizzard, it's damn cold and all she can think about is her house needed dusting. Oi. She then went kitty corner parting the crowd as she shuffled on.
I was distracted by other people such as the man standing with his toque pulled over his head and face to his lip. The white cane held in his right hand put this picture in perspective for me. Next thing I know this same bag clutching, cane carrying lady was standing next to me. She decided to wait for the bus. She stood cheerfully and blissfully unaware right in the middle of the small sidewalk. The lunch time crowd parted effortlessly around her and I may add at the expense of my already hurting cold toes.
Respect. That was what I saw. Respect for the elder.