Shark week - hammock musings pt1

Anyone who has been bed bound or couch bound  or in my case hammock bound has had more than a fair share of thinking time. My turn has come in the case of surgery recovery. Down at the campground with the family and being positioned under my own canopy in a remarkably comfortable hammock. It may also be the combination of pain medications that has led to an over stimulation of thought. However, today as I was managing through the morning routines I was thinking a lot about the shark attacks that have happened off the coast of North Carolina.

It led me to think about people in these three categories:
A) those that don't heed any warning or just don't seem to care because of their own denial perhaps. Or thinking that 'it won't happen to me" which leads them to reckless, deeper and dangerous waters.

B) The other group are those who sensationalize and even profit off of the terror, the mayhem, the drama of it all.  Within days, no truly, hours there were jokes, mees and I'm sure even t-shirts available. TV promos using Shark Week and other such draw for attention, when people have literally died because of the attacks.  In other parts of the world people die every hour and they don't even gain an ounce of the attention.

C) And the third group of people -those associated with the victims whose lives will forever be changed. Their hair will stand on end when they hear about sharks 'Shark week', the beach, and who might never even be able to step foot in the beach sand again, traumatized by the events. Forever changed. (The way I feel about 911/having lost a dear friend).

I have met a few people lately, whose lives have been permanently changed by a single encounter. and by change I mean completely turned around. Some have moved, resigned positions or changed ways of thinking- after challenge. A dear friend just relocated to a different state, ironically enough North Carolina, because his partner of nine years committed suicide in their home. What if he had been wanting to move there all along and was patiently waiting to bring it up? What second chance at life are we waiting for? I'm not saying quit your job, get a divorce, join the peace corps. I'm suggesting pick one of these three thinking groups and see how far that gets you for one day.

It occurs to me that major change only seems to happen after major tragedy. I have a handful of friends who are fighting for change - major adjustments that need to happen in our thinking, in our society, and in our educational system and are being proactive on all accounts and yet their voice really isn't being heard. And I wonder what tragedy needs to happen,  what 'shark attack", to get attention to rally support? Do we have to wait for another national decision for people to understand that all people have rights to marry? Do we have to battle and go through trials and years of red tape before we understand the power and value of social Justice? Do we have to continue to use a flag/any symbol that we know deep down has meanings rooted in bigotry and prejudice?

I participated in #ptchat this week with guest Arne Duncan. While there were lots of valid points, a conversation wasn't allowed to take place because of many voices either yelling 'shark shark' or 'get out of the water". The water for so muddy that not even a life guard would be able to discern a shadow from a fin, and what good does that do? So now some won't return to the beach, and some will claim all beach goers crazy, and some will choose not to try call shark (or wolf) again. See how I remained pretty neutral about who was who in that analogy? I believe in critical conversations. I don't believe in holding up picket signs when you don't know what's on the other side.

So....in whatever deliberation, change, focus you have going on right now-professionally or personally....
You get to decide: never go to the beach again/ pretend, it's not going to happen to ME
OR take your chance and ride the wave, dangle your feet just to get wet and not really fully commit either way (buy the shirt that says you survived the ocean -proving what?? OR take a stand- help those be aware of the real danger and be proactive that it doesn't happen again).

Hammock musings part 1