Kudos to Kids Picking Up Trash and Doing the Right Thing, and the Brave Deeds (sometimes at the ultimate cost..so a tough call, kind of)
Very cool to learn of the senior class at Housatonic Valley Regional High School of Falls Village CT was spending time cleaning up rural roads in the northwest corner of CT. I know other schools and groups do this as well, public and private. That is the school I attended locally as did my former husband and our four children (at least a year each.) Many other relatives and friends also happily found friends and good schooling and experiences at the high school. We all welcome more support for each student and family in the area, understanding they are a key part to building upon success and a bright future in the area and even as many venture to other parts of the country and world. Many meaningful efforts are helpful to set a tone of leadership and care for our earth...and to remind people to toss trash responsibly in receptacles and to use their skills to improve the world...Meanwhile I spoke to one young man who said he 'always leaves his big white truck running when gassing up' ( so keep an eye out for any such concerning types and maybe circle back when they are Done...) Now, will some mend his ways?
I only gave the one young truck gas-filler the 5 minute version of 'what goes around comes around' theories (such as Why Your Life is the Way It Is by Bruce Anderson...) Would he want someone he hired to someday cut corners on safety...and increase his liability or get someone else hurt? How about getting a fine for bending the rules or causing a tragic 'fire' (maybe a friend putting out a cigarette a bit late or using their cell phone 'by mistake' near the pumps...) One fellow actually had a cigarette in his mouth while emptying trash (at Cumbie's in Torrington...)
I was quite concerned so asked him what was up with That?! He assured me "It wasn't lit." He "wasn't crazy' but he didn't want to waste time on his break so always had a cigarette ready to light up after he emptied the trash... I told him it really wasn't fun for me to worry as I did, so maybe he also will modify his habit.
I did want to mention also that I met someone whose going to a fundraiser in memory of a young brave man Austin Grzelak of Pittsfield MA.He heroically saved two children from a burning home, then perished trying to save two more. I gave the person 10 dollars to pitch in..and he said he'd put in extra and I shouldn't give him money...but then allowed me to do so. So there you have it.
Some folks go out of their way to do something nice...and let's face, remarkably courageous and skillful...and others, not so much. Maybe that's part of our collective learning, and it does 'raise the bar' and eliminate a ton of excuses for why we might not be living a balanced and productive life (pursuing a greater good with a team ideally...) In terms of the bravery and love Austin showed for the young children he perished trying to save, it would be hard to know how he could have assessed 'whether it was too late or impossible' to try to save them.
I think unfortunately we all need much more training to comprehend we need to 'figure the odds' and that they have to be somewhere in the realm of possible to put our lives on the line. I have heard miracle stories, and most have heard of our teen son Kaelan's bravery and help to save one of his friends from perilous waters by swimming to him, about 20 feet in dangerous water. That alone seemed impossible, but he made contact with him and maybe had a plan and luck to push his friend up. That push sent Kaelan under the water, however, according to a psychic. His friend said he also went under shortly but then resurfaced.
Thankfully a rescuer was then descending on a lengthy rope to retrieve him and was successful in doing so after being knocked away from his initial attempt. The whole thing happened in mere moments. If the rescuer had been blowing his truck horn, maybe Kaelan would have held back his efforts.
Maybe his friend would have bobbed up and down due to the currents that were having their way with whoever was in them. Maybe Kaelan's efforts were the precise saving maneuver that bought his friend precious moments, even pushing him a bit farther from the plunge hole that took him down once and for all.
The whole nightmare was 'fast and furious' like the river itself. The powerful forces are spoken of by Skip Kosciusko of West Cornwall CT on Kaelan's youtube of his memorial service. Caroline Paton, Kaelan's paternal grandmother, recently has joined her loved ones, including Kaelan's grandfather Sandy Paton on the Other Great Shore. She sang early on in Kaelan's Memorial service. We will hold one for her in Sharon in the spring 2019.
The hundreds who gathered at Kaelan's memorial a month after his June 2009 passing, and the entire area which heard of the story did not really learn all of the details but felt the great sorrow of a loss of such a wonderful young man. The gratitude that he saved two others as well as the third friend was reflected in the memorial and reports as well as page dedicated to him in the class yearbook, which followed a few years later in 2012.
There are many theories that new energies are guiding the planets and our human experience, starting in the past few decades and increasing in the next decade and a half. So let's trust we are part of something much bigger than we've been led or allowed to believe...and seek to do some small kindnesses and be diligent stewards of our relationships on many levels and of our wondrous world.
Okay just one more, then time to catch some rest...and by the way, night workers should take extra precautions about driving home (ideally have someone else do that.) A person can more easily fall asleep at the wheel when not getting enough sleep, and typically that can be from 7-8am as when work lets out. Yes, I met someone who did that (a couple of them actually) and know a third who didn't survive that kind of problem just from being sleep deprived in general not even driving that far or at an odd time.
Meanwhile I met a young woman planning to quite smoking, so I'll end on that happy story..Thanks to all pursuing a cool way to get through the day and chores of living, sharing the road and lightening the load for others and our planet, Pachamama. Check out New Life Expo for some inspiration to add to the mix. There's a TV show about caring for the earth...Mitch someone I believe from the Catskills...I'll look up more info and put it on here soon...
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