Sense & Sensativity: Walker ready to move into the fast lane

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a bone to pick with pedestrians. I can't tell you how many times I have begun to walk up a flight of stairs only to discover that someone is walking down the side that I am walking up. As a child, I learned that you walk up on the right and down on the left. Is that still the proper way to use stairs? And when you are on an escalator or one of those moving walkways in airports, aren't you supposed to go to the right if you are moving slowly or want to stand still and let fast movers go on the left? Please tell me that this is true and that I'm not crazy. -- Up the Stairs, Chicago

DEAR UP THE STAIRS: The standard in America is that whether you are walking up or down a flight of steps, your right hand should be able to hold onto the handrail on your right. As you are walking down a flight of stairs, for example, if someone is walking up the same flight of stairs, that person should be passing you on your left and, therefore, not causing a collision.

It is true that if you want to pass someone on a staircase, whether it is moving or not, you pass on the left, just as one does in a vehicle.

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DEAR HARRIETTE: I just saw a nice posting on Facebook from an old friend, so I went to her page to look to see what she is up to. She is the mom of one of my friends, a woman probably in her late 60s. I was shocked to see that she had several pictures on her page of gun-wielding men who looked pretty scary. This is a woman I know through my church. She comes across as peace-loving and quiet. The pictures I saw were major testosterone images of men who looked like they were about to do battle. While I am not a member of the National Rifle Association, I get the idea that people have the right to bear arms. But I'm telling you that there was something creepy about these shots, especially coming from her. Should I ask her about them? I feel like I want to unfriend her. -- Social Media Disturbed, Washington, D.C.

DEAR SOCIAL MEDIA DISTURBED: Start by sending your friend a direct message on Facebook. Greet her kindly and then ask her why she has those pictures on her page. While it could be intentional, it could also be that someone posted them there and she may not know how to remove them. How deeply did you look into her photo stream? It could be that she is exposing pro-gun extremists at their worst to make a point.

Rather than passing judgment on this woman, inquire as to the rationale for the images on her page. I'm sure she will tell you, and then you can decide on your next steps accordingly.

(Lifestylist and author Harriette Cole is president and creative director of Harriette Cole Media. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

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Sense & Sensativity: Walker ready to move into the fast lane