Wanderings – Did I miss a memo somewhere?

Recent interactions in life have led me to the point of wondering if I have missed something out there – a memo, an article, a story – something. Correct me if I am wrong (my wife does) but there are many things – some legal – that haven’t been changed. Some people clearly act like things have changed – but I don’t think these things have.

You may be asking yourself what I am talking about. Here are a few examples that spilled out from my bucket hat.

When did riding your bicycle on the wrong side of the road become a thing? I remember clearly from the OPP officer who visited my school many years ago that a bicycle is a vehicle, like a car. It must go with the flow of traffic. Now everyone rides their bicycles every which direction.

Also on the topic of bicycles, are helmets not required for people under 18? That law has not been changed. Where is the enforcement for that?

It appears to me that simple etiquette is being ignored in the world. When approaching a four-way stop, pedestrians have to stop too. Of course they should have the right of way, but if a car is already partway through the intersection, the pedestrian needs to wait. Or does he? Maybe I missed something?

Tipping for take out food always annoys me. A recent trip to a restaurant made me laugh. I ordered the food from a counter, picked up the food from a counter to take to my table, poured my own drinks, and cleared the dishes from the table after. When I ordered, the machine asked how much tip I wanted to leave. Zero. I tipped myself since the only thing I didn’t do is cook the meal.

Driving is a theme in this column it appears. A recent spin through the local roundabout highlighted the lack of etiquette by some. When approaching a roundabout, you must yield to oncoming traffic. He who accelerates fastest to the roundabout is not first. Transports also need to follow these rules, and not cut off vehicles already moving through the intersection.

Are golf carts road legal vehicles? No. There is a pilot program in Huron County and on Pelee Island to allow those things on the road. Last I looked, I live nowhere near either of those areas.

There is far too much math involved with grocery shopping. Groceries are expensive enough. Why do I have to calculate how many items I need and what reward card I need to use to save 50 cents? Why do I need to remember my times tables to figure out buying X blocks of cheese at Y amount will get me Z number of points?

I recently went to a concert and was blinded by the lights. Those lights were not from the performance stage, but all the people in front of me with their cell phones up taking photos or recording the performance. The copyright laws or venue rules haven’t changed – at least not from what I know. I prefer to watch the performance, not a bunch of arms holding phones. If I must see arms in the air, could those arms do the courtesy of at least turning the ringer off? Speaking of courtesy, is it wrong now to hold the door open for others?

As much fun as it is to see people’s stick-figure families, hockey team logos or where a vehicle driver’s last 20 vacations were, can we cut it out with the expletives towards people on vehicles. I missed the memo where it was okay to crudely swear at people or just blatantly make un-factual or downright nonsense statements about people. It used to be that an elected office was respected, even if you didn’t respect the person who held the office.

I don’t profess to speak for everyone, but surely there are some embarrassed kids or passengers in vehicles with an “Eff Trudeau” flag is attached. Maybe I missed a memo, but I think some decorum and courtesy is still needed.

This column was originally published in the August 2, 2023 print edition of The Morrisburg Leader.