Sally's World

Back again so soon!

I know this is something that many of you will understand. The pure frustration of people parking unnecessarily in disabled spaces, just so they don't have too far to walk...well it is cold out I guess, bless...

But the word 'frustration' didn't come close to the ignorance I experienced last night. I was simply picking Jordan and Robyn up from karate...(let me get a little boast in here very quickly, they have been going to karate for 5 years, have really committed to it and got their black belts a few months ago)...So there I was innocently picking my Little ninjas up, I pulled into the car park, which had lots of empty spaces in case your wondering. But the wholly inadequate row of disabled parking spaces was completely filled with tiny sports cars and the odd Ford Mondeo.

I had no choice but to pull in front of two of them to wait for the kids, I got out of the car so they could see me (I couldn't actually go in and get them as I couldn't park). I know I said there were other spaces, but seeing as I drive a big green bus with roughly the same dimensions of a Sherpa tank, an ordinary space is no good to me.

All would have been well, if the owner of one of the cars hadn't come out and raised his voice at me...I kid you not! He actually shouted at me for blocking him in...he even bandied the B word about....and as anyone who knows me will tell you...it's NOT my favourite word.

I stayed calm, after all Deion was in the car and the kids would be out any minute, I calmly told him to shut up. Okay, so I may have mentioned the incredible level of his ignorance, also his total lack of intelligence and brain cells, his inconsideration and general rudeness and idiocy might have been mentioned ...but I was calm as I insulted...sorry, I mean as I stood up for myself.

He yelled again, added the F word this time, and I was getting angry by now. "I'm so sorry," I said loudly, "was my big disabled vehicle stopping you from getting your little, clearly non disabled vehicle out of the DISABLED ONLY parking bay."

Goodness me, all he'd had to do was come out and politely ask me to move the bloody van, apologise even for parking there, was that really too much to ask? Then came a whole other level of ignorance..."but you're not disabled," he snapped looking me up and down. "No, I'm not disabled," I replied through gritted teeth. Not something he'd be able to say ever again if he threw the B word out there again.

Well, I calmly got back in the car, the kids came out from their karate lesson, they also jumped in the car and off we went. They were none the wiser and I was just spitting mad. Mostly that I hadn't got to run the bastard over!

Why do people do this? how on earth can someone take one of these spaces that are so important, and not only that, actually be so rude and ignorant when someone who genuinely needed the space comes along. Not an ounce of shame. Its a measure of our society in a way, and one of the things that need to be tackled head on.

It's not the first time this sort of thing has happened to me, it certainly wont be the last, and I'd put money on anyone with a disabled badge having gone through the same thing at least once.

Lets hope that in the future all car parks will provide better parking, that people will show more consideration and less ignorance...oh and while we're asking the impossible, lets end world hunger and solve the issues of world peace.

See you later

Sal x