I'm sure we've all witnessed things that others have done that left us wondering, "What were they thinking?" We may have even been guilty of such things from time to time, when we didn't even consider how our actions might effect someone else. The one that I am thinking of right now is not really an end-of-the-world event, but it happens often. I live across the street from an auctioneer, who regularly puts the stuff that doesn't sell at auction up for sale at his home. He's a great guy, so I wouldn't dream of saying or doing anything that could cause a rift. However, people stopping at his auction will frequently park their car right in front of our driveway, so that if we needed to get out, we wouldn't be able to. I'm thinking, "Who does that?" Even in an emergency, I wouldn't park in front of someone's driveway. These aren't kids, from whom we might expect thoughtlessness. These are adults, usually older than forty, yet it's not even a once-in-a-while thing. Fairly regularly, when he has stuff out on his lawn for sale, someone will block our driveway. Years ago, when I lived in Long Beach, California, someone parked in front of my garage, so that I couldn't get out in the morning, and I had to get to work. I recognized the car because I had seen him do so once before, and didn't say anything because I wasn't planning on going anywhere. Parking was a bitch in Long Beach, especially on street-sweeping days. Before I got a garage, I would sometimes have to park three blocks away from my home. He lived in one of the high-rises around the duplex I was in. But I needed to get to work so I knocked on his door. He finally answered, angry because I had gotten him up so early in the morning, and was rude the whole time, rather than apologetic. A few weeks later, when he had blocked my garage again, I called the police. The LBPD told me that the police weren't required for such things, and that I could just call a towing company. So I had him towed.
Go to Walmart and buy a "no parking" or "do not block drive" sign. People are just unthinking sometimes so you have to think for them.
I don’t have that problem but it would make me angry if I did. Only time I’ve not been able to pull in my driveway was when I was out on a Friday (day my lawn-care people come) And he has a pick up truck with a trailer attached to it...so even if the truck part is not blocking my driveway the trailer is. I’m usually home when he comes but not this day...but the minute he saw me, he moved so I could get in my garage. The people next door to me have lots of cars and SUVs and a pick up....so they are always packed in their driveway and even park in front of my house sometimes but do not block my driveway. I don’t mind. In fact when I go to my daughter’s house, I ask them to keep an eye on my house and I also tell them that while I’m gone if they want they can park in my driveway and also in front of it. It’s a win/win situation....they have more room for their vehicles and it looks like someone is at home at my house. I send a text when I’ll be back so they can move any cars if need be.
That would probably help. Because of a similar problem, I put up NO TRESPASSING signs on my backyard because, since the mill closed, the railroad spur to the mill has become a hiking, ATV, and snowmobile trail and, for some reason, people walking the tracks found it easier to exit the trail through my yard rather than the street, which is one house away. When kids do that, it doesn't even bother me because I don't expect kids to be deep thinkers when it comes to that sort of thing. When I was a kid, we built shacks on land that belonged to other people, and never thought twice about it. Unless trained otherwise by their parents, kids are like cats when it comes to respecting property lines. But I would see adults walking past my window, having left the tracks, crossed my back yard, and down my driveway to the street. I lost a roof rake, which was not cheap, probably because someone had seen it while walking across my lawn, and later decided they didn't really need to buy one of their own. I haven't had so much of a problem with people walking across my lawn since, although there have still been a few.
Thoughtlessness: I've mentioned this one in the Shopping area before, but women will often stop and talk in the aisles of the grocery store, their bodies and their carts blocking anyone else from moving up or down the aisle, sometimes for fifteen minutes or more, totally oblivious to the people who are having to turn their carts around and go the other way. I don't mean to be sexist, but I have never seen guys to that. We go in, get what we need, and get out. I don't usually even recognize people I know when I'm in the grocery store.
@Ken Anderson , I'm afraid that I'm somewhat guilty of the shopping cart thing. I often see someone in a store that I haven't seen for a while. Of course, I have to ask, "How's your Mama and them doing?" That leads to a chat, sometimes brief; sometimes a little longer. But I try to never block an aisle. I get in an out of the way place. Most store aisles are wide enough to do that easily.
@Ken Anderson When you say that only women block the isles, and that two men talking are gay, maybe you are only being thoughtless, rather than sexist? Maybe both.
It depends on my mood, but there have been times when I have stopped my cart and either joined in on the conversation, asked when the coffee is being served or asked where I can find a detour sign. I have been tempted to stop and tell them that they cannot get their weight loss steps in by standing in one place but thus far, I haven’t had the guts. Now, the two things I Really hate when I have to go to Walmart or a grocery are: When a cashier is having a major conversation with a friend instead of checking out the groceries thereby putting everyone else in the line on hold. When a parent or parents allow their kids to run all over the store as if the store is some sort of play ground.
I was in line with a cart full of groceries once when the clerk, noticing that the woman behind me had fewer things in her cart than I did, told her to go ahead of me. Now, had I noticed that the person behind me had only a few things, I'd have probably offered to let her go ahead of me, but that was for me to decide, not the clerk. I had already waited behind at least three other people. They also have two special lanes for people with only a few things that this lady could have opted for, although they probably had even longer lines. I left my cart sitting there and did my shopping at the IGA across the street.