Public Service Announcement

I have been meaning to sit down and blog for a few days now.  I've been thinking about reaching out to you, my dear bitches.  I wasn't expecting to be so sullen. However, I must get this off my chest.

Please be more alert on the roads.

The weather has been delightful. I haven't been spending much time inside my house.  I've been playing outside... a lot.  I've picked up my hula hoop and gone out to my front yard.  I love it out there.  I get to see my neighbors fight and draw on my drive way with side walk chalk.  And sometimes I let the neighborhood kids play with my stuff. (The 5 year old 3 houses down can hula waaaaay better than I can.)

It makes me absolutely panic and turn green when I see cars speed down my street.  I know I kinda live in the hood.  But just because it's the hood doesn't mean you get special privileges.  Slow down. I beg you. You're really not going to get where you're going any faster.

That's not even what pulls me down tonight.  Texting. And. Driving. STOP!! DOING!! IT!!

Is it really that hard to wait?  I understand the need to read the ever so tempting text message.  It's always a surprise.  It could be your mom telling you she loves you. Or the new beau you just met saying he wants to meet you for coffee, (or a nice tall Oberon because it was just recently tapped!) I get it.  But that second you go to look at your phone you're not only putting your self at risk, you're putting somebody else in risk.

I'm guilty of it.  I can't lie.  I look at my phone from time to time in the car while I'm driving.  Sometimes it's to look up an address with my google maps. I go places and it helps to look at the street view when I'm not really sure.   And I talk on the phone while I'm driving.  I don't like to. But I am guilty of it.  I've even sent that text at a red light.

I understand that sometimes we are distracted while we have to drive long distances.  We now have TV sets in our dash boards.  Or trying to juggle food into your mouth as you make a right turn, (have you ever tried to eat a taco while driving? impossible!)

Let me get to my point.

My coworkers father was on his motorcycle this morning.  Enjoying a ride during a perfect spring morning. The sun was out. The sky was blue. The birds and the bees busy making spring come alive. Before he knew it a car came out of no where.  He was flipped off his bike.  The girl who hit him was texting and not paying attention.

  A young girl, still in high school, was killed last night in an accident.  Poor thing was pushed into oncoming traffic.  The girl that was driving behind her was texting and not paying attention.

Thankfully my coworker still has her father.  He's alive. He's injured. But he's alive. She's extremely lucky that he was wearing his helmet. EXTREMELY.

This poor high school girl wasn't so lucky. My heart goes out to her family. To her friends.  In this small world that we live in I am some how connected to that poor girls best friend.  Thinking about her now, I wish I could reach out and hold her hand.  She lost her best friend.  I think about that poor girls mother. Can you imagine losing your daughter? Or your sister?  I can't help but think about the prom dress she's going to miss. The summer that she won't spend wasting away by the pool.

I can't imagine what these families must be feeling. I'm going to be a complete selfish asshole and say that  I don't ever want to feel what they are feeling.  I don't ever want to be the reason that they are feeling what they are feeling.

So I am going to encourage you to be more alert on the roads. I am going to take the extra time to look at the map before I even put the key into my ignition. To maybe make a grilled cheese and eat it before I walk out the door and eat my tacos with both hands while sitting at a table.  

Watch for bikers of both kinds. Watch out for kids in the street.  USE YOUR TURN SIGNALS! Just be aware of what is going on around you.

Please. And Thank you.


On a brief positive note I'm getting better with my hula hoop!

I love you muh dear bitches.  Remember. Be safe.