Aquapasture

Time, constant and always ticking has a funny way of distorting itself in our memoriesl.  We say our kids grow up too fast or that the Dot Com bubble seems like ages ago, yet there are people alive in America today who grew up without planes or cars, let alone satellite, microwaves, and iPods.  The West was settled primarily via the Oregon Trail.  From 1843 into the 1870′s, folks migrated West by foot, horse, and wagon into a land ripe with possibilities and full of unknowns.  The rutted trail along with possible encounters with Indians and roustabouts of the West had to make the journey less than comfortable.    An estimated 80,000 to 200,000 travelers used the trail over the years.  The 2,000 mile journey took four to six months with about 1 in 10 travelers dying along the way.

The point of this post isn’t a history lesson.  It gives the foundation to something I notice too often.  Not a pet peeve because it doesn’t really effect me, just an observation.  It comes from the parking lot.    First, aside from the parking lot of football games, when is the last time you saw a parking lot full?  They are always over sized and spots are plentiful along the periphery.  When I see people sitting in their air conditioned cars, turn signals on, waiting for a close parking spot to open up I get irritated and think…. Is the spot that’s 200 feet closer so vital to your survival that you have to sit there blocking traffic fueling your blood pressure with aggravation and frustration? As you mumble “hurry the f— up” you give the stink eye to the mom loading her minivan with groceries in hopes she gets out of the spot that belongs to you.  Once inside the store (grocery store in this case), endless offerings await to satisfy your palate.  From pineapples in January to Ding Dongs 24/7 –  365, sustenance revolves around pleasure and convenience instead of necessity.  Then it’s back out to the parking lot to load you car with groceries, where you grumble about feeling rushed by the jackass sitting there waiting for your spot.  To get the last laugh you leave your cart in an empty spot, the cart racks inconveniently located 20 feet away.

Wagon ruts from the Oregon Trail are still as visible today as people sitting in the parking lot with their turn signals on.  I’m only 30 and am already a grumpy old man complaining about the good ol’ days but at least I still have my hearing.  But really, the modern conveniences we have make us lazy and forgetful of the struggles from the not so distant past.  To these parking lot poachers the thought of having to walk an extra hundred feet or two in the grocery lot parking lot is absurd, let alone walking 2,000 miles inhaling dust.  It wasn’t that long ago and yes time flies.  Appreciate what we have, don’t sweat the small stuff and next time you see some jackass sitting in a parking lot with their turn signal on, yell “Oregon Trail!” at them.