Last night, our community was inundated with chaos, violence, and disrespectful behavior by thousands of teenagers. I watch the news and read the paper, so I know that these things happen, but not in my backyard. It is so easy to dismiss unpleasant things that aren’t immediately affecting you. In the dead of night, helicopters hovered over our neighborhood as police struggled to maintain some sort of control.
So, since the my family is in Florida, I am suppose to be enjoying my alone time while my knee heals. Being alone has never been an issue for me, but when the threat of the unknown crept in, I felt powerless, fearful, and almost paralyzed. The sound of sirens permeated my normally peaceful domain and my contact with the outside world was maintained through text and social media. After a few hours, my fear gave way to anger. Angry that I allowed these individuals to violate my sanctuary and that no one is accountable for the events.
Our society’s foundation is broken. What is the solution? I have no idea. I do know that I refuse to live in fear. Fear is like quicksand….once you give into it, it will suffocate you. I have to believe that something good will come from all of this. Actually, the fact that a dialogue started as a result of the night’s activities, shows promise in moving forward for a resolution.
So, for today, I will move forward with hope that with our community’s help, we can work together to make our public venues a place of peace and fun instead of violent and scary. In the meantime, I will be grateful for my amazing friends and neighbors who constantly checked on my well-being. I will be determined to reside in a place of faith and I will remember that every difficult situation hold blessings.
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