Small Things Count

Here are some U.S. motor vehicle facts from the CDC worth considering:

• Each year, 32,000+ deaths are due to motor vehicle accidents.
• Over 2 million people are injured in motor vehicle accidents yearly.
• The U.S. has the lowest rate of wearing seatbelts than any other higher-income country.
• A third of motor vehicle accidents involve drunk driving.
• Almost a third of motor vehicle accidents result from speeding.

Almost a third of motor vehicle accidents result from speeding.

…….Something to think about.

Although polio was deemed “eradicated” in our country in the 1970s after a long stretch of paralyzing, deadly epidemic, is it being allowed to come back? Full disclosure: I had polio during the epidemic, at age 3, and, because of the shortage of iron lungs, was not able to get one because it would be wasted on a child who was expected to die. I grew up with it and still live with its late effects. I adapted and am okay with it and the equipment that maintains most of my independence. But I’ll never accept what my parents went through, with me with polio shortly after the death of my younger brother, possibly from undiagnosed polio.

Last month, an adult in New York contracted polio. They’re not sure how he got it. Not everyone with the polio virus shows signs of the disease–they didn’t know the signs with my younger brother and my older brother showed no signs but was diagnosed as an adult as having had polio as a child. So, the man in New York could have gotten it from someone he came in contact with. That’s what’s so scary.

He had NOT been vaccinated against it. He’s not alone in that. According to the CDC, nationally the vaccination against polio is 92.6%. But in two counties in New York, that rate is 58.68% and 60.34%. Why? The medical community attributes the dropping rate to the anti-vaccination movement. Most of these people haven’t lived through the polio epidemic and have escaped loss of life through Covid. Otherwise, they’d understand the miracle that vaccines are and would be promoting them rather than working against them.

Trust me. Polio is not on a par with, say, a cold, and it’s still present among us. PLEASE use whatever influence you have to be sure all your friends, family, and children in your life are vaccinated before we find ourselves in another polio epidemic!~

Pelosi cheats at Scrabble. McCarthy hates dogs. Silly? Of course. But not as dangerous as misinformation arriving in our Inbox: frantic emails questioning a candidate’s source of income or attitudes toward ethnic or socio-economic groups; frenzied ones delving into hidden “truths” about their family or lack of patriotism. If you want to make a rational, informed choice for our next President or representatives, NEVER accept these emails at face value. When an emotional email comes in that looks like it may have a kernel of truth but doesn’t quite feel right, check it out with a reputable, unbiased urban legend website like www.snopes.com. If you find that the email contains twisted or untrue “facts,” reply to that email with either a short note and a reference to the Snopes.com article or cut and paste from that article. And be sure to select “Reply To All” so that others who received it can be informed. Voting is too important not to get our facts straight first.

The best way to keep bad guys from burglarizing your home is to be aware and cautious. Equally important, is don’t unthinkingly invite them in. ADT’s article “How Do Burglars Break Into Houses“ is quite enlightening. It explains what burglars have in common, ways and means of getting into a house, what they do about dogs, how they choose homes to break into, and how we can protect ourselves from them. It’s worth your while to spend five minutes reading this article.

Have you seen the latest PG&E ad, featuring the new CEO trying to tell us how her organization is doing good works? She says that, because of the drought, they can put in underground power lines cheaper and safer. I might add, the drought has presented this opportunity for PG&E largely via wildfires, meaning that those peoples’ pesky homes and burdensome trees are no longer in their way.

By the way, if it’s cheaper, does that mean PG&E will lower our rates and/or not raise them to pay for this work (and their fines, of course)?

Like other holy books, the Talmud has a lot of basic wisdom to guide our lives, like today’s Thursday Thought quote:

My adult son proved to me what I’d always known but had never seen in action.  Like many people his age when they can’t sleep, he was on the Net at 1 AM.  He spotted an ad for a new edition of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which got him to thinking…and sending me an email. He said, “I just saw something that reminded me of the first  book I ever read [JLS].  I think this is why I love weight lifting.”

I think it’s more than that.  I think the spirit of reaching for the improbable, working to one’s full potential–that’s what JLS gave him as a child.  I’d like to think that his dad’s and my reinforcement of those qualities helped make him the caring, generous, capable, determined, hard-working individual he is today.  But I believe that the power of the first book he read, the book he remembers today, can NOT be discounted.

You’re stopped at a light, car idling, breeze wafting through your open window.  Peaceful.  Until that scruffy guy with an “Out of Work & Hungry” sign leans down to make eye contact with you.  Rolling up your window on him or just ignoring him makes you feel guilty, because he might truly be in need.  Giving him money makes you think you may be feeding his bad habit.  The answer is simple: a smile to acknowledge him as a person and the offer of a gift bag.  Make up a few gift bags and keep them in your car for such an occasion.  Fill a zip-lock bag (half gallon size is good) with a bottle of water, a granola bar or bag of trail mix, a packet of tissues, a toothbrush, a sample-sized toothpaste, and a sample-sized hand sanitizer.  Unless standing out there is his “job” rather than filling a real need, he’ll gratefully accept your little gift.   You will have given him useful items to help him get by, acknowledged that he’s a fellow human in need, and regained your sense of calm.

Why worry about a little bit of litter?  Consider how long it takes for things to break down naturally: orange peels 6 months; paper 2-5 months; plastic bag 10-20 years; Styrofoam cup 50 years;  aluminum can 80-200 years; glass bottle 1 million years;  disposable diaper 450 years; plastic bottles 450 years/never.  Besides, litter is ugly!

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. For a description of the book go to My Free Books).

Who are the most precious yet vulnerable among us?  Our children, of course.  Their lives — physical, mental, and emotional – are always at risk. But we can make a difference through small actions. We can take our son and his friend to the library and help them get excited about choosing their own books to borrow.  Have play-dates at our house so we can get to know the friends.  Help out at our daughter’s school event, at the YMCA, Scouts, or youth group. Organize playground cleanup or renovation.  Urge lawmakers to support bills to feed hungry children, keep them safe from abuse, and find loving foster families. Give a few minutes of undivided attention to listen to a child’s exited story or disappointment, even if it isn’t our own child.  Pray with them.  Teach them by our own example of compassion and peace. Sometimes just some eye contact and a smile reminds a child that they are not invisible or unimportant.  Such actions make children feel wanted, loved, and safe; they make a difference to them now and help them become confident, compassionate adults.