An Alarming Trend Today

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         Screeching Sirens

            Is it just my own imagination and extreme state of “living in the moment” the cause for me to be so tuned in or are the sounds of blaring sirens and emergency systems becoming an everyday affair? I can remember that we rarely would hear the trumpeting of the alarm and the sounds of police cars ringing out; it was a bi-weekly occurrence, if that. I am acutely aware now to the frequent, sometimes, twice daily, screaming and blaring of emergency vehicles. Today, it was three times, (the third time being a single fire alarm, signaling the need for an ambulance, which just happened to be called to a house on Maple Ave., right across from our house, at about 10 p.m.) and yesterday it was once and the day before that a harrowing and long-winded response to what must have been a horrific scene.

            My thought always turns to fear and that someone might be suffering and then the question: Why so many emergencies? Each of these alarms, sirens, horns, whistles, blasts, signaling a crisis of some kind. I am hoping no one is hurt or badly injured. It sends shivers down my spine each time. Why am I keenly aware of these emergencies? Does everyone hear them? Is each member of this small community paying attention to the sounds of shrilling alarms? I know “accidents happen”, but to me they seem to be happening more and more. There are fender-benders, at each turn, people plowing through red lights, drivers with heads down, barely noticing the stop signs at the corners. There seems to be no regard for each other on the road anymore. Courtesy is a by-gone thing from an entirely other generation if not an entirely other world.

            I guess I can answer my own question as to why I am acutely aware of the insanity on the roads today. It is because I have children out there on the roads, two so far and one about to drive. As a mom, I can’t help but worry. But as a citizen, I am slightly confused, and completely amazed at the luck of judgment and the rage appearing at every corner on every road. Just this past Friday, I guess someone did not move fast enough when a traffic light turned to green, and the man behind him, in a heavy-duty pick-up laid on his horn for a solid, what seemed like minute, scaring the living s*h*i*t outta me. Have we not an ounce of patience left in us? Can we make it through the day without some kind of road rage incident, either our own or someone else’s?  I think it is time to drop the phone, the make-up and the Big Mac, put two hands back on the wheel at 10 and 2 and stay in the moment and become aware of just who is in front of us while driving a lethal weapon weighing in at over a ton. There could be a newborn in that car. Let us all stay safer on the roads, turn off the cell phones while driving that car. And while at it read up on the dangers of holding cell phones up against your precious and one and only brain. A concerned citizen I am. (I am bringing attention to the health risks of "smart meters" and am being asked what a smart meter looks like. This is one that SCWA installs. Take notice. And be aware of any unusual health issues, it just may be caused by this unassuming and innocent looking device. Many people are finding relief by blocking or removing the meter. Call SCWA and ask them to replace it.)