A Most Disturbing Encounter

Arlington Park  - The Meadow, 6:45 a.m. May 11th 2019

At the north eastern corner of Arlington Park, not far from the parking lot,  is an open area which I call The Meadow.

On Friday afternoon at about 4:00 a twenty something woman was walking across the meadow with two small dogs, both off leash.

One of the dogs came racing towards Zion.  

There are two "free range" dog areas in the park, one for small dogs, the other for large dogs.  In other areas dogs are required to be leashed.

This makes sense inasmuch as you might well think that your dog/s are friendly and harmless, but you cannot be sure about the other dogs which they might encounter.

SO  I said (in a quiet and low toned voice) "Ma'am your dogs should be leashed.  (Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut!).

She replied "I will not take instructions from you".

I responded with "I am not giving you instructions, I am simply reminding you of the City regulations".

The woman could/would not give up.  As I walked away she screamed  (truly screamed) "and you are smoking, filling the air with tobacco fumes".  

Point well taken, but a bit of a non sequitur.

I walked on in silence.  I kept my counsel.  Then she yelled at me again:  

"Why don't you take something and stick it up your ass with the other stuff that is there?"

Again I walked on in silence, resisting  smart replies;  but of course I was disturbed. 

'tis all very sad, and  a wee bit scary. Why is it that folks treat Public Space as if it were their Private Space? c.f . "Road Rage"

and why is it that the governing motif of our era is anger,   from left and from right?

Psalm 37 has it right: 

"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After all that, here is a bit of beauty from my early Saturday 11th May walk at Arlington Park.

Arlington Park, 11th May 2019 (two photo's).  Early morning sun with canine and human shadows.