I try to live my life focused on the positive and I remind
myself daily how very lucky I am to live in such a safe and engaged community.
But here’s the thing: something always seems to ‘pop up’ that makes me ‘pop
off’. Now, I’m no conformist but I don’t view rule following as weakness. Following
the rules is how I keep myself, and you, safe at the same time. I don’t get up
every day promising to make the world better for anyone, but I can at least not
make it worse. That, for the most part, is within my power.
At the risk of being wearily sentimental, I think of Mr.
Rogers and his song about neighbours and neighbourhood, when I think about the ideal
community. “It’s a beautiful day in this neighbourhood. A beautiful day for a
neighbour.” A group of people invested in each other’s safety and happiness.
But then I go outside. The people of my community seem to get behind the wheel,
and shut their neighbours off. As soon as I leave the house I see the drivers
of our community break the rules about speed, about driver distraction, about
safety and courtesy. I ask myself what is it that causes them to disengage from
the people around them?
When I grew up, in the very neighbourhood I live in now, I trusted my
neighbours to look out for me. I would head out on my orange bike with the
banana seat and believed my neighbours would follow the rules that would keep
me safe. Flash forward to today and I know I don’t trust my neighbours; I don’t
trust them to put my child’s safety ahead of their time or convenience or
impulse. I find myself grumbling that it is because they are selfish or that
some deep character flaw causes them to risk our safety and their own. While I
strive to be an optimist, I am far too often pessimistic. I forget that they
are my neighbours and suffer the same stresses and trials as I do. That the
rules of the road have simply not become meaningful to them because they have
not engaged with their neighbours.
Fred Rogers, in addition to being “Mr. Rogers” was a
beautiful writer and speaker. He believed deeply in the capacity for goodness
in human beings. He said “how sad it is that we give up on people who are just
like us”. So I choose not to give up. This Spring I would like to remind you to
slow down, take care, and remember that roads are not built for cars but for
people. I have decided to believe we can do it. So what is the least you can do
for a neighbour? “Won’t you please, won’t you please? Please won’t you be my
neighbour?”
Happy Spring,
Lita
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