Ghosts Do Not Scare Me

If you are healthy, breathe deeply through your nose. Stand up and strech every muscle in your body. If you have a nearby empty street, jog down it and back. We never seem to appreciate these abilities unless we are sick, sore or otherwise hurting. How great it feels to feel great!

I live a block away from two middle schools and their adjoining atheltic fields. For as long as I can remember, little league soccer and softball nights meant hundreds of cars logjamming every sidewalk in a half mile radius. It was annoying and dangerous (but more annoying) and I never did anything but hate it.

I was surprised upon returning home to find no cars on the street. A new parking law forced the peewee league parents to drive the extra 500 yards and park in the school lots. Apparently a child was hit one day when running between the parked vehicles on the street. He was eventually fine, but the “no parking” signs finally went up.

There’s a saying in Farmington that I’ve heard repeated often during my years of living here. “It’s going to take a death before it gets fixed.” Evoked whenever there is a desired stop sign or other traffic law that is being ignored by the city, the sentiment is that change will not be made until grievous injury is suffered from the negligence. I really can’t count how many times I’ve heard this phrase.

I’ve realized I feel the same way about our government’s approach to climate change. No, we aren’t doing nearly enough to fix the very real and dangerous problem. Yes, bad things are going to happen and we will regret it. But rather than do anything about it, I just wait. I know it’s going to take a death before it gets fixed.