Bicycle Rider

      One hot, late afternoon, as I, deep in thought, walked home from a long day of work, on the sidewalk of a busy, city street, I was not paying complete attention to my surroundings. Suddenly, I saw coming straight towards me, a man, riding on a bicycle on the sidewalk. As he was riding at a good speed, I just froze in place and wondered absent-mindedly if I was going to get run over by a bicycle. What would happen? Would I get killed or just hurt? What would happen to the bicyclist? I dare not move, because I did not know if he would be able to second-guess my movements.
      If I had been hit before, my reaction would probably have been much more proactive. Instead, the bicyclist, at the last minute, averted me, riding around me and continued on his way. Did he mean to alarm me or was it all by chance? Pedestrians have the right-of-way on sidewalks, but confrontations are more dangerous for pedestrians. I was surprised at my own apathy of the incident. Though I forgot it, I was more watchful of bicycles and actively got out of their pathways, when I saw them on the sidewalk.
      Several weeks later, again late in the day, as I approached the subway station, I witnessed a frightening spectacle. A bicyclist narrowly missed being hit by a turning bus. The bus driver also expressed frustration and anger at the bicyclist, even though the near miss was not the bicyclist's fault. The bicycle was traveling on the right side of the road, and the bus, to the left of the bicycle, attempted to turn right, in front of the bicyclist, cutting him off.
      With shock, I realized that the identity of the bicyclist was the same man, who nearly hit me two weeks earlier, and it made sense, being the same time of day, and just a few feet up the road from the previous incident. What could the meaning of this be? Surely, this explains the bicyclist's need to ride on the sidewalk! I did write a letter of complaint to the bus company, requesting that bus drivers be more careful and respectful of the more vulnerable bicyclists.
      In life, we see that “what goes around, comes around”, often, and we “reap what we sow”. Some things require more careful thought and scrutiny. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be concerned for the welfare of others, and to take reasonable care to protect ourselves from harm.