Walk With Caution

On December 2 I wrote this piece and have kept it in drafts. It was written out of anger, and I have been hesitant to publish it because I don't want my blog to be written from that tone. However, recently I read about the death of , and the piece is so pertinent that I feel I must publish it.

I have no desire to shame the driver in that accident. I know of someone who hit and killed a pedestrian, and the turmoil he went through I would not wish upon anyone. And my heart goes out to Mr. Smerling's family whose suffering is more than I can imagine.

These kind of incidents, like the 2008 train crash in Chatsworth in which the engineer was texting, are continuous wake-up calls to us. I hope that each time they occur that there is some positive effect on someone somewhere in questioning their values and the mind with which they operate a motor vehicle.

If the interior of cars were designed to shield access to cell phone signal that would not solve the ultimate problem. The ultimate problem is being so in our heads that we don't pay attention and being so overscheduled that we are running around like crazy trying to keep up.

Last night while crossing Temescal Canyon Road a speeding driver nearly ran my husband and me down. I remarked to my husband that the chances of getting killed by a gang shooting in Van Nuys where I lived over 20 years was far less likely than getting hit by a car in Pacific Palisades. Not once while living in Van Nuys did I ever feel my life was in danger, but in the short time I have been back in Pacific Palisades, the threat of life has been frequent walking the streets.

I write this piece because I have a vision of our community and part of that vision involves having streets safe for our young to walk upon without parental supervision. Here is the piece:

Our culture has changed so much I can hardly keep up. I observe and work with it the best I can. I don't like some of what I see, but there isn't anything I can do about it. These behaviors reflect the state of consciousness of our modern world. The only thing I can think to do is have my own mind and not sheepishly follow behaviors that I know are harmful to myself and others. If I remain conscious of my own behavior and take the best care of myself I can, I have a good chance of getting through.

I don't drive often. I like to walk. Also, with limited money at my disposal it is in my interest to save on fuel and wear on my car. I have learned to walk defensively in this town. Although I look both ways before I cross the street as I was trained as a child, I nearly have been hit countless times. Sometimes apologies from drivers follow, sometimes not. This evening as I was crossing I saw a man speeding toward me. I waited in the middle of the street for him to stop before proceeding. He stopped and held up his hands in anger for holding him up. It was an odd reaction for someone to be angry at me for defending my right not to have my blood spattered on the street. There was also a stop sign at that corner to boot. I did not take it personally. He clearly was not in his right mind at that moment. It was not about me.

As I continued my walk home I started taking notice of behavior at stop signs. It is true what is observed in the Two Cents column in The Palisadian Post; most people ignore stop signs. I guess not stopping at stop signs is considered a normal part of the culture here, but it is that violation of the law that has almost killed me many times. This concerns me. Where are people's head's at and how many will die or be injured before they start to wake up?

This is the world I live in, like it or not. There are many other things I could complain about, but they are not worth mentioning because they are harmless pet peeves--not life threatening. I felt this issue was worthy of attention, because it could cost lives--yours, your children's, your parents', your neighbors', your friends'. Or, God forbid, you may be the one with blood left on your hands. It's just not worth it to keep up with a busy schedule. No life is worth that.