Safety

I made another friend yesterday . . . by going to her house, visiting, and playing her piano.

She is a kindly older lady, who has a nice place, which was built by her husband, who passed away a month or so ago. Now, she is living in a spacious house, alone. She showed me her frosted glass experiment in the garage, as she wants to frost the clear glass on her front door, to feel more secure from peepers. My friend has never lived alone (married at 20 years old) and is experiencing anxiety about being alone, especially at night. She also spreads this anxiety to my situation . . . she has been thinking about where I live, wanting and looking for a safer place for me to move to. This is so very kind of her, but also rubs me the wrong way.

Safe . . . what is it? Safe is relative. I blogged previously about the kid with the mean looking gun, and the dogs, and the crack-head neighbor. I haven't yet blogged about the kind mail-delivery lady whose husband is president of the homeowners association, and the lovely houses all along my road . . . it's a mix back there, and I feel as safe as ever in my life. But, safe is relative . . . it only takes one bullet, one crazy person, one man stronger than I, to cause a great deal of hurt, so I'm definitely on my guard. I usually carry my knife, have pepper-spray and flashlights. (Actually, I need to get more pepper-spray for a better stash.) (Did you know Wasp-killer is a great weapon? You can also take it into Canada . . . pepper-spray is not allowed as it is a weapon . . . wasp-killer allowed because it's only a pesticide. But, it sure shoots far and fast . . . if an assailant has any reason left, he'll back off with the threat, and be severely injured if he doesn't, as it is much more toxic than pepper-spray.)

Back to safety . . . I just completed and passed my Safe Rider motorcycle training in Monticello, FL. Motorcycles are not safe. A rider crashes? A rider loses . . . many people know this, some more intimately than others. But, nevertheless, motorcycles are FUN! It takes skill and passion to drive one. (I've got a lot of work to do before I can allow myself to ride on the road, for my and others safety.) Hiking and camping in the woods by yourself is not safe . . . I've done that too. Snakes are not safe. Riding in an airplane is not safe. Talking on your cell-phone while driving is very unsafe. Messing about in boats is not safe. Blogging about your life is not safe. Falling in love is not safe. Practicing Christianity is not safe (Jesus proved that one). Meeting strangers is not safe. Take prescription medications is not safe. Drinking alcohol is not safe. Yet, we do all these things on a regular basis.

I am less concerned about my safety, especially when I think about this . . . the majority of people in the world live in less safety than I do. I visited a community in Uganda that was suffering from drought, famine, and violent raids from the neighboring Karamajong tribe. The good people of this village don't have a choice . . . they are starving and losing their cattle to the Karamajong, and have nowhere to go. A boy asked me to take him to America, then argued with me when I said "no." In the bustling capitol city of Kampala two orphan girls on the street (clearly refugees from the war-torn north) spat on me for not giving them money . . . I'm white . . . of course I have something to give . . . why would I horde it when they are homeless and starving? These children are not safe, and it is heartbreaking, to say the least. I am a grown woman with pepper-spray and martial arts training, living minimally, so don't really have anything anybody around here doesn't already have. I feel as safe as I ever want to be.

There is a community in Chicago that has been transformed . . . I visited there in January of 2007. It is a poor place . . . drugs, alcohol, mental illness, crime, etc. But a missionary came into the community and started a church, which eventually grew into a social organization that provides healthcare, counseling, housing options, rehabilitation, education, positive activities, etc. http://www.lcdc.net/ This is what it means to be leavening, or salt, or light, in your community, no matter where you are. I'm not starting a bible study on my street or anything . . . evangelizing to strangers has never been my gift, and there is so much pride and wrongdoing in the American Christian church, that I'm not yet sure how to send newbies to it. Nobody really knows me, and I'm there for 4 to 6 months only (want to be in a house instead of a camper). However, I'm cooking supper in exchange for a guy to check out the wiring in my car, and I'm planting seeds and bringing in compost and horse manure to make a sustainable vegetable and flower gardening space for my landlady. These things will have their influence, in one way or another. I like to think the positive energies I send out and invest will attract positive energies to me . . . that I will be somewhat protected and cared for. And, I really think that in many ways I am . . . there are angels out there, people.

My friend has so much more than I do (friends, family, money, security), lives in a very respectable neighborhood, and has no enemies. Poor dear . . . she is not safe from fear. I told her that if there is a night she just needs somebody in the house with her to give me a call. I'm close by, have nothing to protect, and would be glad to come increase safety with numbers. She might have to teach me to fish for perch in exchange, and put up with me playing her piano again.