I am not a person very fond of large crowds. Never have been. I remember being a small child at a very large family wedding, probably the largest wedding I have ever been to. It was a family wedding, surrounded and watched over by people I was completely familiar with. All I wanted to do was sit on my Dad’s lap.

As a grown up, I have made decisions to keep me a comfortable distance from any such crowds. I don’t hide my aversion. If invited to an event that appears to be put me in the midst of a crowd, I don’t hedge on my refusal. Why beat around a bush that is actually a tree?

Having made that clear, I have had missteps with respect to that particular issue. One day, I went into San Francisco not realizing there was a large protest planned for the area that obstructed the most direct path back to downtown. It was a struggle to make my way to the nearest BART station. BART is the public transit system that is the easiest way to cross the bay.

As I tried to make my way, I decided to just move with the tide of humanity. To try and push against a swarm of people is akin to jumping into a riptide. And I was about as successful. I happened to find myself in the vicinty of a woman pushing a stroller. We moved at the same pace for more than a block.

There are some sidewalks built patricularly high as compared to the street. As the woman pushing the stroller and I approached one such curb, I realized she would never be able to move with the crowd and maneuver the stroller back up onto the sidewalk. I simply reached down with one hand and lifted the front end as she lifted the back. I set it down once she cleared the curb. I didn’t look back and let the crowd fill the space between us.