Today, my mom and I went to Walmart. As usual, we split up with our shopping carts and planned to meet at the bench near the exit. When I arrived at the bench first, I found a lady sitting there with her bag occupying the other seat. I patiently used my cane to stand against the wall beside the occupied seat without disturbing anyone. After a minute, an employee noticed me standing with my cane and asked the lady to move her bag. Once she did, I was able to have a seat.

Jeanette Isabelle

Did you not dare to ask for a seat yourself?

No. I let the fact that I was standing with my cane beside the occupied seat speak for itself.

Jeanette Isabelle

Using actual speech might have allowed you to have a seat sooner. The lady may have interpreted your just standing there in a different way.

I relied solely on nonverbal cues to gauge the woman's response time. I did not expect the Walmart employee to intervene.

Jeanette Isabelle

We all have momentary lapses. I'd like to think I have pretty good situational awareness from years of training, but today I walked past a friend in a public space without even realizing it! When I see other people's lapses, I'd remind myself to be vigilant.