Today I streamed the anxious, terror filled news from my desk at work—my mind wandering. My heart is aching for Boston, for Massachusetts and for America as a whole. At the end of the day, terror doesn’t just affect a city or a region. It affects us all, and changes us, irrevocably.
I hear I grew up while the Vietnam War was still going on. I say it like that because I was young, sheltered, and even if I knew; I was too busy being a kid to notice or care. And besides, the bad guys were FAR, FAR AWAY—not here. I would ride my bicycle for hours, for miles… no cell phone to track, or call me. Nothing… Just be home by dinner or dark. My biggest fear was crossing a major road to get to Barricini’s candy store.
Those days have been gone a long time… but the reality is it changed in a generation. It feels as if today’s world is truly a bad science fiction movie. There is judgment, fear, NO trust, just danger lurking almost anywhere. I know this because I feel it.
I walked out of my office today with the Boston Manhunt still going on. I walked through midtown past an inordinate amount of police presence, (to make me feel safe, while making me sad at the same time).
Then it happened. Two strangers walking their dogs stopped on the street as their respective pooches did the “sniff, circle, and wag” routine that I love. All of a sudden, these 2 people with no ties, perhaps nothing in common but having a dog, were chatting and laughing. I couldn’t help but feel a smile widen across my face. I couldn’t help but wonder in my idealistic and insanely improbable world, what it would be like if everyone had a dog. If every dog did the “sniff-circle-wag”, and every one of their respective persons got along, even if that was their ONLY commonality.
What I witnessed should get me through today. I will wake up tomorrow back in reality. But a girl can dream, and sometimes it helps to have those small moments that warm your heart to get you through the toughest days.
Everyone with a soul is thinking about and praying for anyone affected by terror—anywhere.
Xoxo- DDJ
Dealing With Fools 