Mental Ramblings.... This took a turn I wasn't expecting....
So, today the little baby boy I nanny for (we'll call him Monkey Pants) would rather hang out with mom when she is home rather than stay with me. Which of course that's going to be the case, but when she needs to work from home, it makes it really hard. He will cry and cry, and she loves him so she comes and checks on him. Today, our solution was to sit out on a quilt in the grass in the front yard of their condo. It was really nice out today, beautiful and overcast, and not too hot. And while he was content with being there for the short few minutes, I couldn't help thinking that this was perfect. Something that I want to do with my babies when and if I have them. It was one of the calmest moments that I have had with him so far, just because he hasn't gotten used to being away from mom and dad for so long so often. And what kind of baby would be from the months of 4-6? That's like half their life and 20 hours out of the week every week since he was 4 months old, that is a lot! Anywho, Monkey Pants was so calm and ok with hanging out on this blanket for a few minutes.
I couldn't help but think of how he will grow up, make friends, live life, go on many many adventures and have a great life of his own. It's crazy to think how we go from this tiny little being in our mothers to being a big adult human thing. Our lives are so intricate and so delicate and so precious. And (unfortunately) we are living in a world where violence is so common now, we have had dozens, to say the least, of shootings and terrorist attacks and they are coming closer to home. It's scary. And it's not ok. We must teach and accept others for who they are, and respect that they have their beliefs and we have our own. That it is ok for us not to agree with everything that someone else does, but that it does not give us an excuse to turn to violence or to killing someone (in the name of your god or not). I am sure I do not understand everything that goes through and makes something like this happen.
The last 2 years of working as a Lifeguard our administrative team has had us go through this training, and it will continue I am sure. This training is to teach us and help us know how to react and help in response to an active shooter. If someone was to come into one of our pools we now have the training and ability to alert, get others out, and if the situation calls for it maybe even take down the person. That is terrifying. I didn't ever think that I would have to know, or would even know how to do something like that, and now to have it as a training for work? That is crazy. You never know what will happen, and since I work at a public place it is likely that it could happen. I just googled how likely is a shooting at a public pool, and I got a ton of news reports of multiple shootings that have happened in the past 6 months alone! I don't know about you, but I didn't hear about any of these shootings, one of them happened in May and one in June of this past year. Why didn't we hear about these? WHY has it become a thing that just happens, that's sad, we talk about it for a few days (if it's big enough or important enough...which when is people dying in the hands of another by opening fire normal or not important???), nothing changes and we move on?
We have such a big tool the internet to help us make a change, any change, but all we do is talk about it, say something that has lost meaning to a lot of people, and move on with our lives. We can change the world with the little devices in our hands, and yet, we waste so much time! I know I am definitely guilty of it. But information is so easy, so fast, and so accessible to us, more than it ever has been in the history of the world, and yet, stuff like mass shootings, and terrorist bombings and crashes only hold our attention for a week. Not much comes from social media or all of these outlets that we have except people making apologies for someone who isn't sorry and doesn't care what they did was wrong, or angry remarks about how we need to change. I hope that this changes, and soon. I hope that we can start making the empty promises, not empty anymore. I hope that we can actually help those who feel that hurting or killing others isn't the way. That we can provide them with the help and support that they need. I know I sound naive, but maybe we can make mass shootings not common, not ok, and not accepted as the norm ever.
Sorry, this took a turn that I was not expecting. At all. I wasn't going to talk about anything to do with that stuff, but it just kind of happened. But you know what? I am not sorry. It's sad to me that these things are happening. But having a conversation about it is the first thing that needs to happen to make a change. so I hope this inspires you to try to change it. To get involved in whatever you are passionate about, and that you can make a change for good in the world. I hope you have a good night. Enjoy this weather while you can.
~JTTFTTCLO~
I couldn't help but think of how he will grow up, make friends, live life, go on many many adventures and have a great life of his own. It's crazy to think how we go from this tiny little being in our mothers to being a big adult human thing. Our lives are so intricate and so delicate and so precious. And (unfortunately) we are living in a world where violence is so common now, we have had dozens, to say the least, of shootings and terrorist attacks and they are coming closer to home. It's scary. And it's not ok. We must teach and accept others for who they are, and respect that they have their beliefs and we have our own. That it is ok for us not to agree with everything that someone else does, but that it does not give us an excuse to turn to violence or to killing someone (in the name of your god or not). I am sure I do not understand everything that goes through and makes something like this happen.
The last 2 years of working as a Lifeguard our administrative team has had us go through this training, and it will continue I am sure. This training is to teach us and help us know how to react and help in response to an active shooter. If someone was to come into one of our pools we now have the training and ability to alert, get others out, and if the situation calls for it maybe even take down the person. That is terrifying. I didn't ever think that I would have to know, or would even know how to do something like that, and now to have it as a training for work? That is crazy. You never know what will happen, and since I work at a public place it is likely that it could happen. I just googled how likely is a shooting at a public pool, and I got a ton of news reports of multiple shootings that have happened in the past 6 months alone! I don't know about you, but I didn't hear about any of these shootings, one of them happened in May and one in June of this past year. Why didn't we hear about these? WHY has it become a thing that just happens, that's sad, we talk about it for a few days (if it's big enough or important enough...which when is people dying in the hands of another by opening fire normal or not important???), nothing changes and we move on?
We have such a big tool the internet to help us make a change, any change, but all we do is talk about it, say something that has lost meaning to a lot of people, and move on with our lives. We can change the world with the little devices in our hands, and yet, we waste so much time! I know I am definitely guilty of it. But information is so easy, so fast, and so accessible to us, more than it ever has been in the history of the world, and yet, stuff like mass shootings, and terrorist bombings and crashes only hold our attention for a week. Not much comes from social media or all of these outlets that we have except people making apologies for someone who isn't sorry and doesn't care what they did was wrong, or angry remarks about how we need to change. I hope that this changes, and soon. I hope that we can start making the empty promises, not empty anymore. I hope that we can actually help those who feel that hurting or killing others isn't the way. That we can provide them with the help and support that they need. I know I sound naive, but maybe we can make mass shootings not common, not ok, and not accepted as the norm ever.
Sorry, this took a turn that I was not expecting. At all. I wasn't going to talk about anything to do with that stuff, but it just kind of happened. But you know what? I am not sorry. It's sad to me that these things are happening. But having a conversation about it is the first thing that needs to happen to make a change. so I hope this inspires you to try to change it. To get involved in whatever you are passionate about, and that you can make a change for good in the world. I hope you have a good night. Enjoy this weather while you can.
~JTTFTTCLO~
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