What's Backing up in BrooklYN, NY? That would be traffic, big trucks and plans to remedy lack of traffic control responses even from 911, 311, police reports!

May 24th, 2019 found me going to a simple medical appointment at mid-morning that I almost slept through but didn't. Here's a summary from a lower part of the his post to cover the highlights of the BrooklYN deal (are you noticing the way that happens to be the state abbreviation in reverse as the end of Brooklyn? Yes, me too. Time to make a plan for NY and the rest of America regarding road and travel safety (including sidewalks, subways, buses, trains and of course roads whether in a country or city downtown area, neighborhood or highway. One concern on that last note is that the air pollution can be quite bad within 2,000 feet of a highway, so consider moving if closer than that! 

Here's my preview summary since I explore topics 'at will' on this blog and find out as I go along just what gems of wisdom and relating emerge...

We are teaching new drivers and one another 'how things are done.' Many accidents are due to speed or impaired driving, so they are more accurately referred to as 'collisions'.

What I reported to 911 during the May 24th, 2019 traffic concern event at DeKalb and Washington was the people were running the 4-way stop, pedestrians of all ages were confused. There was also construction being done on one lane (with a footwide ditch 5 feet deep dug out) and a truck to fix the lights first on one corner then a second on the one kitty-corner to it (diagnonally across.) While DeKalb is One Way that helped a lot, but that is also where the construction near the corner was happening.  Without a point person, many people were confused as to who had the right  of way and when they could travel safely whether in a car, truck, bus, on a bike or walking with a stoller, walker or by themselves no matter their age.

I stood and directed traffic from the sidewalk for about a half hour with most people appreciating the effort. About fifteen percent were not impressed and were ready to  put me down. About ten percent would run the sign, some without even slowing down. At one point a firetruck with sirens blaring came down Washington Ave in the open lane. I recorded a few minutes of the scene including speaking with a man who said they did take such measures when Storm Sandy caused traffic lights to go out. We decided there and then that all people need to become more team-minded and capable team players whether assessing a situation, learning to drive in various conditions, directing traffic (from the side walk and ideally with a common website giving the basics such as for Crossing Guards, and other capable fit people.

That can be a taxing job to step into 'all of the sudden.' I wrote about doing something similar at Gates and Washington a while back when a car was stalled blocking a lane. People did NOT like that I was trying to make sense of a bad situation. Then I was more in the street to prevent people from going down the blocked lane which buses were using in both directions. When the police came to the scene a half hour after I phoned 911 using a passerby's phone, they said for me not to do that. Only Traffic Control can or should do that. Otherwise they advise leaving it up to people to manage from their vehicles the best they can.

That would not have worked out well since the intersection would have been blocked as traffic backed up behind the stalled car, and buses and so on were trying to get through from both directions. From that situation I learned about TransAlt.org who help plan bike lanes and do some advocacy. I contacted the Mayor's office through 311 and had reported to them as well.

Now I realize it would make sense to set up video cameras and FINE PEOPLE who run the 4-way stop (even after the fact but that would likely require a law.) We could inform them with a letter but basically EDUCATE THE PUBLIC, Particularly Men and the Elderly who do not seem to know the rules about basic drving as well.

Plenty of younger people and a few women were in the mix of clueless drivers, so overall, LEARNING the Benefits of keeping the roads safe and driving practices in line with the laws and guidelines makes sense. 

Everyone likely should have a driving 'review class every ten years' (if not 5 with more perks such as cheaper car insurance or other rewards for doing so) and be willing to 'have back up plans to meet driving needs whether for short trips or longer ones. Many people with impaired vision or other physical or mental challenges keep driving because they do not want to ask, do not want to 'lose their license or their car' or don't want to feel indebted or otherwise comprised by getting help even when it is highly justified. Yet some people with legal blindness own a car and have others drive, have an ID and get their needs met readily.

Thankfully there are more services to get people rides and specifically in the NYC area, Access A Ride is a helpful program many take advantage of whether for medical or personal trips. Even then people may need assistance using such places and there are more programs for aides to help family and others maintain independence in the community with supportive help.

Many people and government agencies realize the higher cost of having care in nursing homes and better outcomes for many who are able to use community ties and supports. Some funding even through medicaid is enabling people to explore options that work for them. Ideally more people would have consults over time to learn about practical options for managing assets (such as through CTSeniorLaw.com or other reputable sites. None of what I am sharing is to be taken as legal, medical or other counsel but rather is shared in a brainstorming set of ideas to help improve possibilities.

Often guidelines and laws can catch on quickly and may not need to be uniformly enforced to prove helpful. Many people still run red lights, which can be dangerous for pedestrians any time. We need to heed the bigger impact possibilties, so walk and drive defensively and let speeders etc have the  'right of way'.

Think on your feet and be ready to put yourself in a different place or lane as needed should the unexpected come your way. The psychic Bill Philips has a book Expect The Unexpected, which can be a helpful motto to ease out of complacency about everyone following the rules. His book speaks to tuning into spiritual or intutive messages and seeing a bigger picture of life in your relationships, community and wider world. Even from 'the other side' if that is helpful. He also had positive messages for me about my son and other loved ones being okay on the other side, and aware of our moves here on the earth plane.

Those kinds of possibilities can help more people think and live with more reverence for the gift of life and our shared experiences and goals. Other posts I have written about 'voluntarily driving on certain days if male, female or other gendered, and at certain times of the day if going north (on the hour) versus south (on the half hour, east at quarter after and west are quarter of, can help people realize how much can be done as human beings individually and yes, collectively. The idea that we are all one and can learn and adapt to change may prepare us for the Bigger Changes Around the Corner. This post has taken a few hours for me to write so far, so I will put it in park. I know I included a few Detours or Rabbit Holes along the way. I don't mean to criticize in a demeaning way.

This is Constructive Criticism meant to encourage US All to be more of a Tonic than a Toxic when it comes to being in our public or even personal roles of choice makers. We all need to be in the driver's seat of our lives. We are not alone: we are all one...Let that energetic, social and other possibility sink in and maybe we won't be wrestling half-asleep as though in a dream when we are awake or cruising down Washington Ave or someday to Washington state for a final roll in the compost... we will live more fully and appreciate the beauty of the earth and one another, the progress we've made over the last few hundred years and tally up how we can all slow down and let go of a few extra worries and ways that don't service us. "We've got this..and can and will improve...with steps toward sharing the load and the road, one day of discovery and disclosure to the next. Happy Travels and Mellowing Out Along the Way.."We've got you on this!"

At the dental cleaning I had later I spoke with a woman who said she also has done advocacy along these lines for people  with mental illness. While she had heard of NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness,) she had concerns Big Pharma was funding it in part so that it may not promote enough alternatives or supplemental help for those with mental illness. From my experience NAMI does have many advocates looking at what helps people with mental illness and particularly what families and support people as well as community, schools and police and responders can do to understand these conditions more effectively and appropriately.

Keeping people from driving when that happened was the scariest moment of the ideal and a few people passed me by even with the firetruck coming our way. Later in the day I saw pedestrians on Atlantic Avenue near The Brooklyn Commons race in front of a fire truck with less than half a block clearance.

The pedestrians intentionally crossed the road even with the firetruck barreling down the road. It was terrible yet the two of them likely decided to 'go for it', something plenty of people who land in serious harm's way (such as the kids who went with the No Plan Plan or Against My Plan as even my own son did in terms of donig that kind of thing without the right training to assess situations accurately and know more about water rescues that could be done and that couldn't work out safely for both parties.) Taking a risk, saying "I'm going to go for it !" Or 'Watch This!" ar words that precede doing something a person knows is highly risky. Sadly I have heard from people who work in  the emergency room how many antics and stunts go bad.

Some land people as organ donors...or  the morgue. We will 'all have our time and  a way to go. If we can help someone on the way out or many encourage tissue and organ donation (two separate things I think but again worth looking into as is if someone is interested in having their body donated to science for medical students to train using for a year to learn anatomy and procedures.(End of the summary from below...so now read as you like, from the start, or pick up the final parts after the summary.)

Then I was going to make my way down to a dental appointment (at 2:30pm I can recall because it sounds like "Tooth Hurty", get it?, an old family joke and a time my teen son in spirit mentioned in a reading from Mark Anthony, 'The Psychic Attorney' when a few years ago held at the Edgar Cayce Center in NYC. Sadly 2:30pm is also the time that Kaelan was facing his hardest moments in life saving his friends from drowning yet ending up doing just that in the process.

I realize now the ways we place ourselves at risk need to be an area we review more openly and honestly for ourselves (think  unhealthy chronic  or singular risks in various family, friend, school. work, faith or peer relationships and driving over one's past or with unsafe or not sober people for starters..) 

I will be referring to a few topics such as life lessons (and losses) and themes, many of which I explored with others in the course of a bustling day in BrooklNY, NY (which has happened a few times as well as similar times on smaller scales in rural areas.)

Before I tell you about a traffic problem at  the DeKalb and Washington Ave intersection due to a traffic light being out (and would take a few hours to fix so a 4-way stop was set up with signs on the ground tied to a set of two cones to keep them from blowing over in the wind, I will recount some of my experience in 'finding out too late what happened when a preventable accident or tragic turn of events unfolded..."

There is more about this on Remembering Kaelan Alexander Palmer Paton, or on his Memorial youtube video which can be helpful for more people to consider the impact of such 'daily things going awry', people not speaking up and following through to prevent disasters in our everday walks of life, sometimes literal walks and roadways.

Overall more decent, collective kindness and planning could clear the way for more critical efforts to prevent bigger disasters related to climate change.

These kinds of 'wake up calls' could spur communities to have not only trained crossing guards and traffic directors (and planners to Divert traffic from troubled roads and intersections as much as possible.)

I am promoting the idea of a group mind shift to Empower All People to Know More than they may have been told or trained to consider. We can all assess and advocate for safety in many aspects of our lives, not taking undue risks, practicing safety in terms of following laws and guidelines. Overall 'seeing the big picture and aiming to do the right thing can actually help more of that to happen.

That is a lot of what Edgar Cayce teachings indicate. whether for our spiritual or higher purpose of inner peace and balance as well as growth (those are all related more than modern tech and Hollywood would have us believe.)

The idea that we are all pressed for time to make money to pay bills is one that needs major review. We may have to rethink just about every aspect of our society to intentinally Slow Down to "Survive the Drive" (which is the motto from a driving program at Lime Rock Park in CT, about a mile from the Falls as well run by Bob Green and trains drivers to be aware of the reality of speed and what it takes to stop (as in slam on the brakes from what I recall in part of the training...)

Ideally one would leave plenty of 'stopping room' which would be even more than the basic 'car length per ten miles of speed'. The quick reactions people need may not be there so double those space lengths whenever possible. Don't be distracted by talking on phones even remotely since that had proven almost as distracting as texting or using a hand held device. I heard from another person I met yesterday that NYC is considering ticketing people who use their phones to text or even talk when Crossing the Street.)

 Okay so here is more about a day that changed my life and informs much of this blog from ten years ago, a time of much change for a few years in my family and personal life that went from somewhat comprehensible and challenging to almost impossible and exponentially more devastating.

Everyone can benefit from learning to Read the Warning Signs, Allow a Larger Distance and Time from The Edge of Danger or Stress and Exhaustion (so pace those trips, that fun, that visit to be on a human scale, same with caring for people or children...get back up and be sober and safe on all fronts, not trying to multi-task or deal with more challenges on top of whatever daily caregiving is needed if possible.

Even call a friend or watch a program online to keep one's courage and strategies up to face each part of a day. That is part of a theory from a Peer to Peer outreach. One such program can help many with mental health challenges without being solely reliant on medication.  

 Regarding the time "2:30" when Mark Anthony shared that with me as a significant time, I couldn't think of anything immediately. A few psychics say sometimes a mind will 'blank out' but to keep it in mind. That even happened with another person a different psychic, Bill Philipps was telling me to consider could be whose named started with a certain letter. Later it dawned on me 'clear as a bell'.

The overall message there was that my 'loved ones in spirit were all together and okay, and knew about our the members born into our families and so on.' Those can be very healing helpful ideas and Gregg Braden and others say many references to reincarnation were in books left out of the Bible which was 'truncated' during the rule of Constantine if I recall from a summary of one of his recent youtube talks. That's on my list to explore...

Yet since Mark Anthony told me, I think that time "2:30" was about things that had happened, such as the time a family member was born, or even the time that Kaelan passed when saving three friends from the Housatonic River in our otherwise 'sleepy little town with very few people' in Falls Village and Salisbury CT on his last day of his freshman year at Housatonic Valley Regional High School or HVRHS which is about a mile from The Falls that were at flood stage that June 16th, 2009.

There is more about that unfolding turn of tragic events for our son, yet a miracle save for his friends thankfully, the final one by a rope rescue done by quick volunteer responders who had gotten the call made by yet others who stopped their car and let teens use their cell phone after seeing our teen son signal to call for help (making the signal to call 9-1-1 with his hands, holding up nine fingers then 1 and 1 again...incredibly composed and clever even under intense psychological and gripping pressure to make life and death decisions..

.He chose to give his all to help his friends against insurmountable odds for the last person he jumped into treacherous waters to reach. The first two he had braved reaching a hand to while still on land, yet even that could have proved deadly.

From yet another psychic, Patti Sinclair, I heard that when Kaelan pushed his friend toward shore is when he went under water. While his friend also told me that he went under briefly, he resurfaced. Then the rescue by Skip Kosciusko was made from about 50' above using his climbing ropes.

The moments then resulted in a fury of securing a loop of rope around the youth while being pummeled by heavy waters which separated the two. Thankfully Skip was able to swing back close enough to retrieve the lad and bring him up to safety but had his jeans torn by the waterfall forces in the process.

The teen was safe and sound. I appreciate that he and his family spoke with me within a day or two and helped me comprehend what I had learned of in a general sense by chance a few hours after this emergency crisis involving about a dozen youth going to The Falls to celebrate their last day of school with their parents permission even though I had specifically asked and had confirmation from one parent twice that they would not be allowed to go to the river alone and not into dangerous parts.

One parent recently shared that they had not realized the river was high due to the many days of heavy rain in June that year. Most had not thought to check the conditions of the river or the falls which can vary from not running over at all due to the diversion through a canal run by CT Light and Power and is used to create electricity at the power plant lociated a few hundred feet below the quarter-mile canal.

We have yet to think things through comprehensively and 'check to see what the public would do' in a variety of situations. We don't need to paint a picture of being bit by a rattlesnake, though those live in the the area of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine and well as the MA/NY CT area where the Housatonic rambles from Pittsfield MA through the Berkshires then over the Falls in CT and down to Westport CT emptying into Long Island Sound.

Our heroic son Kaelan Palmer Paton's  efforts thankfully did afford his friend precious moments to be rescued by a skilled effort yet he likely also 'broke with protocol' in saving the youth with climbing ropes he had as a tree climber rather than official rescue ropes.

Other volunteers have actually perished due to other risks they maybe should not have taken (with electricity not being properly turned off for instance, or someone going back into try to save a friend who they didn't think got out but did from a fire, and a more recent turn of events from the Pittsfield MA area of a young man rescuing two children then going back to get two others, but perishing with them.

Sadly the smoke damage could likely claim the lives of those caught in a fire such that retrieving them may not mean being able to save them. Whether to 'risk everything' to save one's child is one we likely should think through carefully since the reality may be 'the child cannot be saved' with any decent odds yet the desire and emotion would likely prompt one or more family members to be put in peril, grave danger or get seriously harmed or killed in the process.

The Reader's Digest had a story about not being able to assess things rationally when motivated to save someone, even against great odds. In telling about a toxic lethal chemical at the bottom of a silo, a few people perished thinking people had somehow passed out from exertion or falling before help arrived and could assess the situation clearly. More commonly, if someone is in a car when a tree branch comes down with a wire (or just the wire) one would do best staying in the car I believe since the electricity could prove fatal.

Some of what likely is needed is a general acceptance that 'people may continue to exist spiritually even after they perish mortally.' That could take some of the sting out of the sadness of dying, whether oneself or loved ones or others.

Some psychics and others say 'it may be that we lives a set number of years or have certain relationships and experiences...planned out from before we lived this life time, and then 'something will happen to result in our mortal exit.' The suicide situation can be thought through more carefully as well from various perspectives, including whether one is troubled 'from past life issues, inherited stress and difficulty or other spiritual or emotional causes.'

The healing and balance may involve gaining insight or seeing one's life from a higher perspective, as energy that is expressed through a personality and certain period of history and group of people and area. If one is open to considering that there may be loving spiritual forces and guides to help one in their inner and experiential and even relationship journeys, that may shift some of the pressure to 'figure things out and feel one must make decisions in a solitary way.'

Overall looking at people as friendly helpers versus competitors or distractions may help one find earth angels and supports to inspire and connect with helpful information, people and places. The Course in Miracles (TCIM) and many positive networking efforts encourage people to ask 'Why are things happening for me?" rather than 'Why are they happening to me?"

The Left Forum is happening June 28-30th, 2019 at LIU, Long Island University. Maybe some of the answers we are searching for with the "Who's a USA Tonic?" Vs Who's A Toxic (or what's toxic or in denial. as in huge De Nile River) will be surface.

Other efforts by The Brooklyn Commons offer important insights, as do NoLiesRadio.org and Steven Greer on Youtuber (and in a Netflix called Disclosure.) So many important public education campaigns are needed. We miss so much hoping 'we won't have to bother with the bigger picture, but many scenarios play out small scale that merit our attention and community response.

Then we can speak to the larger ones more effectively and feel empowered to handle the bigger systems. I will share the headline from an email that Marianne Williamson will be in the Democratic Televised Debate so she can share her message and ours' with the American citizenry more effectively. I think the good ideas we hear from various people can inform our expectations of whoever lands in the The White House as President of the United States.

We need to do better, much sooner. From all I can tell, going with the Democratic party will usher in the meaningful stop-gap measures to disaster and climate change that no one can afford to ignore, deny or try to sugarcoat like mose coastal areas do. They will be the first to go under when the seas rise when the temperatures rise and the ice melts faster than it already is.

When I spoke about the seriousness of this global situation with a fellow who may be in his final inning of life due to a debilitating condition over many years which has left his bedridden the past year or so, he insisted I not make a 'swirling motion with my hands' to illustrate how the warmer water is flushing away the ice from below which will hasten the the glacier breakdown.'

Those kinds of motions disturb his own equilibrium. That is often a problem as people age in terms of not getting dizzy or feeling sick by a graphic disturbing photo, movie or story. The other would be becoming sensitive to lights when driving or in general.

That can indicate cataracts or other aging symptoms so again, paying attention to 'warning signs' whether to see safely when driving, ideally having someone drive for or with someone (though not good to have to depend on another's eyes when in the driver's seat.)

Being a 'backseat driver' is almost considered a crime by some yet more openness to people being helpful with another set of eyes (especially when changing lanes or in general to be alert for bikes or pedestrians, tricky four-way stops or other icy, dicey conditions' would be a practical help to be open to receiving.

So discussion about Attitude and 'how to use helpful information, perhaps conveyed to someone in a text or by someone else would make sense.) If picking someone up, be clear about calling when one arrives so you don't miss that someone is 'inside or outside a building, etc.'

That happened to me last week, when we were both outside in our cars, but on different sides of a building. Even before leaving for a place it's good to take a moment and go through a basic checklist for things one needs, money, phone, license (wallet ideally but whichever.), keys, directions (hand written in case the GPS or phone is not working, plus good to know in case there are detours or ways to learn of delays.

An important event or meeting could be a reason to go a few hours early to a place (and eat there or shop, rest, make calls, etc.) Then there's the bigger trips that may merit going a day or two Before the main event, to prevent jet lag or delays. Allowing enough time for one's life and to meet with others can pave the way to not being in a mad rush. That seemed to be an issue for  quite a few people in the 4-way intersection due to a traffic light being out in Brooklyn NY but we may as well code the whole of America for which places are in a frenzy and which are more comprehensible. 

We are teaching new drivers and one another 'how things are done.' Many accidents are due to speed or impaired driving, so they are more accurately referred to as 'collisions'.

What I reported to 911 during the May 24th, 2019 traffic concern event at DeKalb and Washington was the people were running the 4-way stop, pedestrians of all ages were confused. There was also construction being done on one lane (with a footwide ditch 5 feet deep dug out) and a truck to fix the lights first on one corner then a second on the one kitty-corner to it (diagnonally across.) While DeKalb is One Way that helped a lot, but that is also where the construction near the corner was happening.  Without a point person, many people were confused as to who had the right  of way and when they could travel safely whether in a car, truck, bus, on a bike or walking with a stoller, walker or by themselves no matter their age.

I stood and directed traffic from the sidewalk for about a half hour with most people appreciating the effort. About fifteen percent were not impressed and were ready to  put me down. About ten percent would run the sign, some without even slowing down. At one point a firetruck with sirens blaring came down Washington Ave in the open lane. I recorded a few minutes of the scene including speaking with a man who said they did take such measures when Storm Sandy caused traffic lights to go out. We decided there and then that all people need to become more team-minded and capable team players whether assessing a situation, learning to drive in various conditions, directing traffic (from the side walk and ideally with a common website giving the basics such as for Crossing Guards, and other capable fit people.

That can be a taxing job to step into 'all of the sudden.' I wrote about doing something similar at Gates and Washington a while back when a car was stalled blocking a lane. People did NOT like that I was trying to make sense of a bad situation. Then I was more in the street to prevent people from going down the blocked lane which buses were using in both directions. When the police came to the scene a half hour after I phoned 911 using a passerby's phone, they said for me not to do that. Only Traffic Control can or should do that. Otherwise they advise leaving it up to people to manage from their vehicles the best they can.

That would not have worked out well since the intersection would have been blocked as traffic backed up behind the stalled car, and buses and so on were trying to get through from both directions. From that situation I learned about TransAlt.org who help plan bike lanes and do some advocacy. I contacted the Mayor's office through 311 and had reported to them as well.

Now I realize it would make sense to set up video cameras and FINE PEOPLE who run the 4-way stop (even after the fact but that would likely require a law.) We could inform them with a letter but basically EDUCATE THE PUBLIC, Particularly Men and the Elderly who do not seem to know the rules about basic drving as well.

Plenty of younger people and a few women were in the mix of clueless drivers, so overall, LEARNING the Benefits of keeping the roads safe and driving practices in line with the laws and guidelines makes sense. 

Everyone likely should have a driving 'review class every ten years' (if not 5 with more perks such as cheaper car insurance or other rewards for doing so) and be willing to 'have back up plans to meet driving needs whether for short trips or longer ones. Many people with impaired vision or other physical or mental challenges keep driving because they do not want to ask, do not want to 'lose their license or their car' or don't want to feel indebted or otherwise comprised by getting help even when it is highly justified. Yet some people with legal blindness own a car and have others drive, have an ID and get their needs met readily.

Thankfully there are more services to get people rides and specifically in the NYC area, Access A Ride is a helpful program many take advantage of whether for medical or personal trips. Even then people may need assistance using such places and there are more programs for aides to help family and others maintain independence in the community with supportive help.

Many people and government agencies realize the higher cost of having care in nursing homes and better outcomes for many who are able to use community ties and supports. Some funding even through medicaid is enabling people to explore options that work for them. Ideally more people would have consults over time to learn about practical options for managing assets (such as through CTSeniorLaw.com or other reputable sites. None of what I am sharing is to be taken as legal, medical or other counsel but rather is shared in a brainstorming set of ideas to help improve possibilities.

Often guidelines and laws can catch on quickly and may not need to be uniformly enforced to prove helpful. Many people still run red lights, which can be dangerous for pedestrians any time. We need to heed the bigger impact possibilties, so walk and drive defensively and let speeders etc have the  'right of way'.

Think on your feet and be ready to put yourself in a different place or lane as needed should the unexpected come your way. The psychic Bill Philips has a book Expect The Unexpected, which can be a helpful motto to ease out of complacency about everyone following the rules. His book speaks to tuning into spiritual or intutive messages and seeing a bigger picture of life in your relationships, community and wider world. Even from 'the other side' if that is helpful. He also had positive messages for me about my son and other loved ones being okay on the other side, and aware of our moves here on the earth plane.

Those kinds of possibilities can help more people think and live with more reverence for the gift of life and our shared experiences and goals. Other posts I have written about 'voluntarily driving on certain days if male, female or other gendered, and at certain times of the day if going north (on the hour) versus south (on the half hour, east at quarter after and west are quarter of, can help people realize how much can be done as human beings individually and yes, collectively. The idea that we are all one and can learn and adapt to change may prepare us for the Bigger Changes Around the Corner. This post has taken a few hours for me to write so far, so I will put it in park. I know I included a few Detours or Rabbit Holes along the way. I don't mean to criticize in a demeaning way.

This is Constructive Criticism meant to encourage US All to be more of a Tonic than a Toxic when it comes to being in our public or even personal roles of choice makers. We all need to be in the driver's seat of our lives. We are not alone: we are all one...Let that energetic, social and other possibility sink in and maybe we won't be wrestling half-asleep as though in a dream when we are awake or cruising down Washington Ave or someday to Washington state for a final roll in the compost... we will live more fully and appreciate the beauty of the earth and one another, the progress we've made over the last few hundred years and tally up how we can all slow down and let go of a few extra worries and ways that don't service us. "We've got this..and can and will improve...with steps toward sharing the load and the road, one day of discovery and disclosure to the next. Happy Travels and Mellowing Out Along the Way.."We've got you on this!"

At the dental cleaning I had later I spoke with a woman who said she also has done advocacy along these lines for people  with mental illness. While she had heard of NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness,) she had concerns Big Pharma was funding it in part so that it may not promote enough alternatives or supplemental help for those with mental illness. From my experience NAMI does have many advocates looking at what helps people with mental illness and particularly what families and support people as well as community, schools and police and responders can do to understand these conditions more effectively and appropriately.

Keeping people from driving when that happened was the scariest moment of the ideal and a few people passed me by even with the firetruck coming our way. Later in the day I saw pedestrians on Atlantic Avenue near The Brooklyn Commons race in front of a fire truck with less than half a block clearance.

The pedestrians intentionally crossed the road even with the firetruck barreling down the road. It was terrible yet the two of them likely decided to 'go for it', something plenty of people who land in serious harm's way (such as the kids who went with the No Plan Plan or Against My Plan as even my own son did in terms of donig that kind of thing without the right training to assess situations accurately and know more about water rescues that could be done and that couldn't work out safely for both parties.) Taking a risk, saying "I'm going to go for it !" Or 'Watch This!" ar words that precede doing something a person knows is highly risky. Sadly I have heard from people who work in  the emergency room how many antics and stunts go bad.

Some land people as organ donors...or  the morgue. We will 'all have our time and  a way to go. If we can help someone on the way out or many encourage tissue and organ donation (two separate things I think but again worth looking into as is if someone is interested in having their body donated to science for medical students to train using for a year to learn anatomy and procedures.

One basically must be in 'fairly good shape'..Not too heavy or too thin, too affected by an illness, etc. In the past week we have heard the news that Washington state has become the first to approve human composting as a way to return to the ground or nature.

They reported it would take about 30 days and cost about five thousand dollars. I met someone in the NYC area who had a metal chamber that ran on electricity that would do that in less than a week. That said, many traditions advocate for having one's body 'intact' and on dry ice in a natural setting or in a room with windows (such as described in Living Into Dying by Nancy Jewel Poer) to allow one's spirit to disembark over a few days before burial or cremation (both of which may have more chemical outputs if one is preserved before burial or which creates air pollution including the release of mercury from fillings etc.)

Well, now that I've touched on reaching the end, being in spiritual in our theories about our collective energy (more on that by many thinkers such as Edgar Cayce, Rudolf Steiner and maybe quantum science...) I will return to some practical help I learned of also in the Span of One Day. One outreach called Breaking Ground addresses help for the homeless.

So check out their site. They were encouraging me in my efforts (as were a few others, but some police I spoke to on the street said about the same as the 911 and 311 operators..that 'it was reported and would be addressed if the traffic concern merited their attention. Though the police offered as I suggested that maybe they are understaffed in the Traffic Control department.

Some places have the automatic 'cameras that take  a picture if you run a red light and mail you a ticket.' If some of those were installed likely everyone would be more motivated to self-monitor themselves. Here are some other places I learned of as well for various issues. One tip was to be careful if you are in the medical field and being downsized (for whatever reason.)

Maybe a set-up can be made where a patient will allege a violation was made and a nurse or two will back that up to have you not only fired but lose your pension. The person I heard this from shared that with consulting with Human Resource people and his attorney, the huge legal fight would be costly and not winnable.

Again the issue seemed to verge on what evidence one could prove and if possible having a camera record a procedure, particularly if of a questionable nature, that should be allowed with the time on the carmera as well. That person suffered a huge loss many years ago and yet could inform more people for the need for accountability. While we can acknowledge no one is immune from the possibility of doing something egregious, perhaps due to a personality disorder they are not even aware of for instance, or under stress or from a medication or traumatic brain injury, the need to accountability has become more apparent. In addition even when offenses are committed, often there are not the correct effective ways to address those concerns.

That is covered in many other posts about the complicit nature of professionals and the media in not covering key topics on many levels and allowing for crime and victims to suffer, particularly in family courts (with abusers getting custody in more cases than chance or due to honest mistakes.)

That said, the illustration of people running stop signs takes on more meaning (which can easily be a hundred dollar fine or worse cost someone  serious property damage or harm of one or more persons, including the driver.) We are essentially Rewarding the Wrongdoers even as they put themselves and others at risk of losing their lives in split-second decisions that they should Take More Time to Reconsider...and Not Do. I feel that data needs to be inputted.

Others in the area possibly planning to travel in that direction may say "I am not seeking input about that so do not discuss that with me. Not another word. No 'ands, ifs or buts.' Another might say "I will go wherever my GPS tells me to go. I don't want to discuss it at all. ' They might take more time telling someone they Don't Want to Discuss Something. And Repeat that one or more times if the other person tries to make any effort to do so.

Then the person is left seemingly 'with no option' but to allow them to be put in harm's way. Yet a prayer can be said and any resentment for their unwillingness to listen (even if they are in a hurry to get on with their day) can be the lesson of 'allowance.' What is sad is to think they and their passengers, young or old, will also experience the consequences of the warning not heeded. Likely everything will go smoothly, but What If that's not the case.

The feelings of wanting to prevent harm has been an ongoing endeavor since our son's 'needless passing'. The teens were minors and should have been supervised more appropriately by their parents with clear rules long before they entertained the notion of going to a dangerous part of the river (and the whole river should have been off limits not only for them but for any searching for them on their own volition without the proper support and training.)

The many levels of information that could benefit people is what I convey as I can on this blog and hope it gets some Bells Ringing with Wisdom, Compassion, Caring and Sharing, Actions and Coaching how to be on a Collective Winning Team.  

Considering that everything is unfolding in a divine or spiritual way for our higher learning and evolution can be a real life-saver, sanity-saver, way to forgive others and ourselves for the stumbling along the way.

Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy and Training Center in Harlem NY offers a 6 month in-class program to learn to master yourself and advocate for others. Then you can go out in the field for 6 months, so it is a year-long program. I met a woman who spoke to me about that by chance after my appointment.

I was taking pictures of the 500 paper colorful origami cranes in the window of Betty's bakery on Atlantic Avenue. Sue I'll call this woman, said she hadn't been in the area for 25 years and only sat down to rest as she was making her way home, so she also felt this was a wonderful chance encounter. I hope to follow up and learn more about the offerings in the community, Baltic AEH, Advocacy, Employment and Health. Brooklyn Peer Advocacy Center is one of 17 programs if 4 counties (Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island and Manhattan), without any in Queens unfortunately.

They couldn't have advertised easily in the beginning on a smaller budget. But now with Medicaid and Medicare being charged with getting positive outcomes, the hospitals are partnering with them. They have a bigger budget and can do more outreach and could use more volunteers to help people with mental illness to have more support in various aspects of their life.

Medications can only go 'so far'. That is a similar message from more integrative programs...to have a sense of partnering with people, places and programs to make progressive steps daily, weekly and monthly to achieve better health and wellness goals personally and in wider circles. We could apply that strategy to more aspects of our society.

On my way through some construction on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn (which involved an excavator backing up taking me by surprise since I thought I'd safely passed it but it was about to smooth out a pile of dirt about 4 feet high--so best to Not Call in dicey places and better to sit and do so I realize now) I took time to call my local schools and area in the Northwest Corner of CT. 

I had told a good friend from 20 years ago these safety tips since I met that person by chance a few times then another mutual friend was speaking with them on the phone last month. When I took time to get in touch by phone and explain my hope for better pacing and oversight for safety of parades, that person said they were too busy.

They suggested I call another person who I tried to do. But I couldn't find their number. When I thought to call the school to get the number for the Town Hall, that person gave me the wrong number by mistake. But in the course of all that I conveyed information and gave them my contact information should any want to follow up. Now I realize many more guidelines could be put together on a website and every state feel ready to help people share their safety tips about their events, travel routes, tricky corners, 'blind spots' and more.

Good ideas will catch on like going to parades, fireworks, concerts and getting important stuff done. Ralph Nader and others think about the advocacy we need for a more effective democracy as do many in politics, But we need more 'here and now regular people to also step up to keep the systems rolling, as honestly as possibly. Plenty of important work is outsourced I learned from another fellow who was in IT.

He said the job he did as top notch person could be outsourced (without being fired, just having his job eliminated but also by being fired because a person said they felt insulted when he said the problem he fixed was 'a piece of cake.') Another woman mentioned NY was a 'fire at will' type state but again I need to learn more. On a positive note people wanting to help with the efforts at The Brooklyn Commons would be wise to share their time, talents, and efforts with a request into the owner. Funds from NY may be available to help businesses like hers succeed and she has done a great deal for the area.

 I generally enjoy the Memorial Day Parades.

I have found a host of problems over the years and try to let others know at the Lakeville Journal or fire departments and VFWs who lead the parade to think about educating the youth and public in general to be careful at parades and big gatherings. More support is often needed in traffic management since people passing through or just wanting to go to the store don't realize that a street or two will be blocked off for a half hour.

There are ways to sneak onto the main roads more than personnel or clear road blocks have been set up even though the flags and groups are numerous indeed. Throwing candy or healthier, safer treats out to the crowd  could be done by a walker or bicyclist rather than large trucks which find kids going right toward the big wheels unfortunatey or in front of oncoming traffic.

So one kind secretery was going to include those tips. Then there's being prepared for the heat with hats and water which sometimes another group provides, but best to Be Prepared and consider the many people who have helped us along the way.

On Memorial Day that is particularly the veterans who died in battle, someone helped me understand. I feel we can learn from all those who have journeyed the earth since many are facing challenges more than any can know, maybe even themselves. But making that commitment over time and serving in battle is a heightened level of commitment.

I feel the hometown heroes who have lost their lives in similar battles to help others should also have a special time of remembrance, especially when the effort is made 'on the spot with what they've got.' God Bless them Everyone  and all of us as we brave futures we cannot see hook, line and sinker. Kaelan's Grandfather Dale Palmer, Sr was in WWII and was one who made if out alive in 1944, after an appendectomy and having served in the Coast Guard as a radar man. I have more about his life on this blog and sent a letter or two to my local papers including The Register Citizen of Torrington CT.

He used to joke that's why he enjoyed watching television (though he'd also criticize is as the boob tube knowing it was not putting out the important messages more people need and thankfully which many now find on the internet, even here on livfully.org) Thanks, Dad Dale and Son Kaelan and many others in spirit for 'watching over our movie that playing out here on earth'. We know you are rooting for us to root for one another and find some balance in the mystery and wonder of it all...while we journey on together.