Today I am thankful that I held my tongue and didn't share too much truth.
I should start off by saying that my gun toting neighbor is being incredibly quiet. His dogs go outside but he doesn't.
That means, I don't hear screaming, yelling or any bizarre nonsense anymore.
I just hear the doggies bark at each other.
I should be happy.
The problem, though, is that the Code Enforcement officers are circling the block like hungry sharks.
I don't know if the gun toting neighbor is calling on everyone else
-or-
if everyone else is calling on the gun toting neighbor.
Sigh......
Life is happier a few doors down.
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There was an adorable Chihuahua running around the street and gleefully rummaging through the trash that had been set out on the curb.
He was the sweetest little doggie.
I saw him when I was driving down the street.
I stopped in the middle of the street and got out of the car. The little pup came up to me and started to bark, like he was telling me about the treasure he found in the huge plastic bags.
My other neighbors noticed that I was stopped in the middle of the street and came outside to offer assistance.
The little pup started growling.
It was almost like he didn't want so many people invited to his party.
He was adorable.
I offered to take the pup with me on my errand and come back to find his owner.
The last thing I wanted was the little dog to get hit by a car.
My neighbors told me to get to my meeting. They promised that they'd take care of it.
I made them promise not to call the pound.
Chihuahuas could be mistaken for wolves or pit bulls or loch mess monsters or whatever the heck the Aurora Animal Control Officers are dreaming up to fine people for today while euthanizing their pets.
Don't laugh. I don't trust the pound with the current people at the helm. I mean they don't know the difference between a German Shepherd and a wolf. How can I trust they know the difference between a Chihuahua and a Chupacabra?
A lovely lady I'd never met scooped up the pup and went door to door with him. Another neighbor bagged up the trash.
It's awesome.
Not everyone on my block is a self-absorbed ninny.
Life is better three doors down.
That was a refreshing experience given my normal interaction with the neighbors.
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Interactions are what we make of them.
The energy that we bring into our interactions often determines what people get out of them.
Over the weekend, a local activist posted pictures of a Pinata depicting Donald Trump getting beat up at a public school.
The school district promptly put the teacher on leave.
This woman started getting death threats. I've only met her a handful of times and I can tell you that she is an activist who works to help children railroaded by the public school system.
The students were threatening her. They were in their late teens.
Teachers and parents would admonish her for "arguing with children." These weren't children, they were young adults in much need of respect.
After several hours had passed, you could see the students asking questions about the Constitution and wondering why free speech didn't exist in public schools.
They wanted to save the teacher's job. The activist agreed that the teacher shouldn't be fired. There needs to be a conversation about appropriate political discourse on public school grounds.
I read through the thread and thought that this woman may have inspired a few future politicians.
I was excited for her.
But.....many of them went on to threaten her again.
The school was shut down. The harassment this woman experienced became worse. The kids became agitated.
She and the some of the kids are still talking. After another day of this, they are telling her about bullying at the school and the lack of response from the administration.
She offered to help.
Some of the young men and women are angry that the school took action after seeing her post but they ignore the bullying that the parents are bringing to the attention of the district.
This woman and the kids are now talking about ways to end bullying and to educate the district as to what is going on at the school.
I wonder....if she had put different energy into it - what would have happened?
Her energy was one of a mentor, advocate and teacher. Most of the kids responded by sharing their stories with her and asking for her help.
If she were obnoxious and angry, I know things would have been much worse.
The story isn't quite over. This woman and her family are still receiving threats.
It's hard to say how this will end.
The lesson is that the energy we carry can truly influence a situation for better or worse.
It's something to ponder.
Love ya,
S.
Edit 9:32 p.m. - Darn it, I spoke too soon. The gun toting neighbor is outside my house screaming...
BOO-YAH....
I wonder what he's so happy about?
I hope he just got promoted to a good paying job in Singapore.
He's a statist. He likes calling the police on everybody. He'd probably like Singapore.
I'll stay hopeful.
Cheers!