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| .Volume 2, Number 5 |
December 2001 |
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  The
events of 2001 give us new reasons to appreciate the value of our lives
as we approach the yearly celebrations of Christmas and the coming of
the New Year. It is heartening to see American flags still flying from
our vehicles and homes, and it is comforting to see that Americans are
looking forward to the holidays with courage, faith and the same
excitement that accompanies each holiday season. This excitement is a
double-edged sword: on the one hand, it’s good to see "business
as usual." On the other hand, "business as usual" also
means some behavior we could stand to rethink. What follows are
observations made in an around a shopping area during the past few
weeks.
I Own The Road On a recent Saturday, we passed six vehicle wrecks in a ten-mile drive along a suburban thoroughfare that is ordinarily safe. Most of them were fender benders, but two of the wrecks required ambulances and wreckers. And at the mall, traffic was even more dangerous as shoppers maneuvered for the best parking spots, so intent on this objective that other vehicles, pedestrians, and traffic control signs were invisible. We would like to remind these "driving hazards that it is better to be late than never to get there at all, or than to prevent someone else from getting there. It’s Party Time! "Holiday Cheer" to many is a license to tip one glass too many. That anyone feels excessive drinking conveys a cheerful holiday spirit is a matter of personal opinion, but it should be noted that the holiday season does not grant anyone immunity from becoming a public - or private menace. "Moderation" is a good word: "abstinence" is a better one. Deck the Halls Yards and houses decorated with enough lights to illuminate Disney World are, we must admit, a special and beautiful part of the season, maybe more so this year than in others, so we don’t want to sound like the Grinch, but it takes one bad connection, one frayed electrical cord, one overloaded switch - well, you get the idea. A basic safety check of your equipment takes little time and is worth the effort. By all means, light a candle in the darkness: and while you’re at it, take care that your light doesn’t become a bonfire. Toyland, Toyland It may just be our imagination, but this shopping season seems to be even more populated by children running unsupervised or at least, UNDERsupervised by their parents in public places. As fond as we are of children, there are times when it’s better to leave them home, especially when we remember the creeps who always use the holidays as an excuse to prey on the innocent. And Speaking of Toys . . . Each holiday season brings with it stories of children injured by unsafe toys. Check out the toys you buy: pay attention to reports on TV and on the Net about the kinds of toys that are appropriate to your child’s age, or that are not appropriate at all. The last place any of us want to be this month is in a hospital with a child in trauma. We in America have had enough tragedy this year to last through the next millennium: let’s all do our very best to make this not only the "season of joy" but the season of safety". There couldn’t be a better national Christmas present than that. |
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