90-10

my parents often joke that i am 90% my dad, 10% my mom. this is probably an accurate assessment. i was reminded of this the other day while walking to the library with madeleine.

i was walking along 500 west in provo, which is a pretty busy street - 5 lanes of traffic - when i came upon a big roadblock that was blocking off the sidewalk for less than a block and stated that the sidewalk was closed due to construction. the sidewalk itself wasn't under construction, but a building right next to the sidewalk was. obviously, the purpose of blocking off the sidewalk was to prevent anyone walking by from being hit with flying construction materials - a major liability.

unfortunately, the alternate routes weren't pretty. there was no crosswalk across 500 west at that point, and i would have had to backtrack considerably to get to one, or walk completely around the block (effectively walking 3 blocks) the other way to bypass the sidewalk.

and this is where i proved the 90-10 assessment. it would be inefficient to obey the rule, and unsafe to cross 500 west with madeleine in the stroller in front of me. it was later in the day, there was only one construction worker still on the site, and he was working on the ground level without any dangerous tools. obviously, the reasons for the roadblock were not applicable to me at the time. so, i ducked under the tape to the side of the roadblock, ignored the dirty looks from the construction worker, and continued on my way to library. my dad would have done the same.

i wondered if my mom could have brought herself to do the same...