Reality Check

Kizz posted this morning. Go here and read, then come back to this post. Go ahead - I'll wait.

Kizz lives in New York City - Brooklyn to be exact. I sometimes wonder about whether Kizz witnesses such things and just chooses not to tell those of us who love her or if the worst she ever sees really is just the occasional crazy homeless person.

I have to admit (not that it's any surprise to Kizz) that I used to worry about her safety. I've been to visit her numerous times (and we're due for another very soon) and I remember feeling overwhelmed by the sheer mass of humanity and concrete and diversity that I found there. The reality of her day to day life is SO different from mine - or so I thought until I smartened up and really looked around.

Last week in my neighborhood - or, at least, in close enough proximity that I was immediately aware of it - two young men were killed in an horrific traffic accident.

They were turning left on a green arrow when a pickup truck raced through its red light and broadsided them. No one knows how fast the truck was going because there were NO SKID MARKS - he never even tried to stop.



Both men - one was 37 and the other was 17 - were pronounced dead on the scene. The driver of the truck suffered minor injuries. He was high on prescription drugs of some sort and was, it's been reported, in such a big fat hurry because he was on his way to score some heroin.

There is a big hoo-ha going on about the resignation of nearly the entire administrative staff at a local high school. No one is quite clear on the details, but I've heard that drugs, alcohol and possibly weapons are involved. And don't think that I don't know that I'm essentially taking my life into my own hands when I head to our local Wal-Mart. It's really only a matter of time before someone goes postal in that place.

My point is that there are really very few differences between our environments. Sure, Kizz has better public transportation and I have more trees, but we both live in places that are affected by poverty, mental illness, drug abuse and a host of other social ailments. And guns. There are lots of guns around here and, though most of our guns are carried around by guys in wildly ugly orange vests, I'm certain the hunters aren't the only ones packin'. My hope, though, is that none of my high school students are.