chivalry is NOT dead!

I'm 23 weeks pregnant now and I'm hoping that I look pregnant and not just fat.  But I realize that people don't want to assume that someone is pregnant because heaven forbid if they are wrong!  So, I guess I've been giving people the benefit of the doubt on the Skytrain (Vancouver's public train system) when they don't give up their seat, seeing a pregnant lady standing.  Brian, on the other hand is just appalled!  He believes that there is absolutely no reason at this point in my pregnancy that people do not give up their seat for me.  I've been pretty lucky on the Skytrain, though.  I guess my work hours are shifted enough that I'm not directly in rush hour and most times I've been able to get a seat. 

Today, however, I left for work a bit earlier and found myself in the middle of the morning rush.  By the time I got on the Skytrain, there was standing room only and it was pretty packed standing room at that!  So, I took a look around me and noticed that there were some young, able-bodied individuals (men and women) that were sitting down.  I looked down at my stomach and glanced at my reflection in the window.  I'm PRETTY sure I look pregnant.  I was feeling a bit let down that there was not one person on that crowded Skytrain that thought that I might need a seat!

A couple of stops went by and more people got on the train, so I was forced to keep moving down the aisle.  Just when I had given up the notion that people actually give up their seat anymore, the lady in front of me stood up and offered me her seat.  I thanked her and I was very happy to see that chivalry was not dead.  It truly made my day.

A couple of stops later, an elderly man got on the train.  I noticed that there was a girl in her late teens/early 20's that was sitting in one of the elderly and disabled seats by the door.  She looked right at the man and I guess it never clicked because she made no move to vacate her seat!  Eventually, a man got up and offered the elderly man a seat.  (I noticed that the man and the woman that gave up their seats actually knew each other.)  I'm sure that the kind gesture made that man's day as well.

I'm so happy to see that people still get up to offer their seat to others that might need it more.  It is a show of respect for others that my parents and Brian's parents taught us growing up and we will definitely be passing this lesson on to our kids...