The Crossing Guard

When I was in the fifth grade, I volunteered to work as a crosswalk guard at my elementary school. At that age, I saw this responsibility as momentous step in reaching maturity and adulthood. Every morning I would have to wakeup at 5 am so that I could get to school in time to don one of the traffic safety vests and hit the streets before the morning rush.

Although I was quite proud of my post when I was holding it, now that I am older I recognize my naivety. Don’t get me wrong, crossing guards play an important role in keeping people safe, but the position hardly carries the clout that I felt it did when I was in the fifth grade. Despite my recognition of my childhood disillusionment, I always think back to those days when I have to stop for five minutes in the morning while droves of elementary school kids pass by.