Taking a deep breath…

Our wonderful small town joined the ranks of cities with a shooting story last week. You can view the whole story here, but we are all definitely thankful this situation wasn’t worse then it could have been.

My mother-in-law works at the nursery directly across from the RV park and heard the first shot and watched the whole drama unfold. Amazed at the quick response, as more then 25 cop cars arrived at the scene quickly. I was thankful that my husband as a firefighter usually doesn’t have to response to situations like that.

Don’t talk to me about gun control, that’s not why I am writing this, I am writing this because I feel strongly that as a society and community, we have failed; as humans we have FAILED.

Call me old fashioned, but I feel many of the issues we are facing with situations like this are a direct result of our current lifestyles. We spend more time “connecting” to our friends through social networks, text messages and other techno outlets. But where has the face to face gone, the real conversations and interactions. Interactions that lead us to really know somebody, really see their true colors and knowing when something is wrong.

Maybe it’s just because I come from a community and lifestyle where a hand shake and true word are still valued. Maybe it’s because I am still “living in the dark ages” in a location that doesn’t offer service for a smart phone. Maybe it’s because I am in the minority that I can see the affect these changes are having, but I think we are headed in the wrong direction.

I’m not the most social person, I am not likely to start a conversation with a stranger, I don’t enjoy standing up in front of a crowd. But situations like this are the perfect reminder that being aware, looking up from your screen and smiling at the people around you can maybe make the biggest difference. We have a long ways to go for mental health help to be more available and accessible. But I think as communities, as a society and country, as humans, we could get there part of the way, by just being present in the world we live in.