SoCS: Bummers, Blessings, and All I Need to Know Right Now

Our prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “nose/noes/knows.” Use one, use ’em all, bonus points if you use all three. Have fun!

I don’t know if I can get to the fun part. There’s a saying or two about wisdom knows what it doesn’t know. The wise person knows they don’t know a lot.

I don’t know a lot about being a police officer. But I know we can do a lot better in training, screening, and being more compassionate in general. What’s got me going is trying to understand what happened in the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya by a police officer in Michigan earlier this month. I guess a lot of people are trying to understand. Why does this keep happening between Black men (and women) and police officers.

I know there are plenty of good police officers. I know at least one. But why did the police officer who stopped Patrick Lyoya, because his car had the wrong license plate, end up shooting him in the back of the head? The police officer was on top of Patrick who was face down. There was some kind of struggle for the police taser. But Patrick was face down with the officer on top of him. And the officer shot Patrick IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD.

I’ve been informed by one person on my FB post, that police “don’t shoot to wound,” and my officer friend commented, “we don’t shoot to kill.” They aim for the biggest body part – the torso. So why did Patrick get shot in the head?

Taking a deep breath. And another.

I’m writing this on Good Friday. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross so young? But he wasn’t really young, was he? He was trying to change the world. Trying to help people understand about love. And he did that.

Maybe we can keep on learning about love. Keep loving who we can. Support the good cops. Encourage those who are trying to do good. We can do the little bits of good where we are.

Tomorrow, I’m going to put cans of fruit cocktail, soup, and Chef Boyardee pasta in our church blessing box that David made and I painted with help from kids at church. We do what we can.

I’d like to add that the police officer I know is a blessing. I met her working on community murals. She’s been a cop for many years and does a lot of good.

When Jesus died on the cross, his friends thought things were as dark as they could be. They were filled with despair. But we can turn despair into hope that people will learn from mistakes. We can learn to love in small ways or in big ways. It’s not easy, but it is possible. That’s what I’m telling myself.

This song came to me this morning: “I Don’t Know Much, But I Know I Love You.” I like the sound and images even if the singing is slightly out of sync.

Wishing you blessings at Easter and always,

JoAnna of the Forest

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For more streams and rules for SoCS, visit out host, Linda Hill by clicking HERE. She knows!

SoCS: My Not So Wee Accident

“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “wee.” Use the word “wee” or find a word that contains it and use it in your post. Have fun!“

I wish I could say I had a wee accident, but that would not be true. I wish I had been able to say, “wee!” as I drove my car into the picnic table, but I was more like, OMG or WTF in a sort of out of body experience. People rushed to see if I was okay. I assured them that I was. Embarrassment and disbelief were my worst injuries.

I remembered pulling into the rest area parking lot on my way to the mountains. I’d stopped about two hours earlier for lunch and stretching and only had two more hours to go in the six hour trip. I remebered looking for a shady parking space, picking one out, turing into it and my car ran over the curb into the sturdy metal rest area picnic table.

Now I know there’s a name for what happened: Pedal confusion. It can happen to anyone, but it happens more in old people. I’m sure being tired was a factor. I stepped on the gas instead of the brake. I still find it hard to believe and embarrassing. It also happens more in confinded areas like parking lots. I’ve actually done this twice before over the years though not recently until two weeks ago. Both previous times, I was pulling into a parking space, but didn’t do any damage as I was able to correct my mistake quick enough. And there were no picnic tables. One person I lamented to said she rear ended someone by stepping on the gas by mistake. I’m glad no one was hurt.

People were very helpful. They called the police, EMS, and even a fire truck just to be safe. In spite of my assurances, EMS checked me out and everything was normal by then. There was a police officer who was very helpful. He said he could get a tow truck faster than AAA’s estimate of 45 minutes. The tow truck arrived in about 20 minutes and the police officer took me (in the cramped back of his police car) to the car rental place and made sure I would get a rental before he left. Maybe it was because I was a older ? woman driving alone. Maybe it was my father’s Bible in the car door pocket. Maybe he’s just a good cop and it was a slow day.

So anyways, I managed to have a good swim in the pool the next day and kayaked on the lake with the goal to stop thinking about the accident (after I had read at least three articles about pedal confusion.) I managed to drive the rental car back home without incident. My messed up car is still 4 hours away and needs a LOT of work. My husband says, that’s why we have insurance. He encouraged me to “get back on the horse.”

Eventually, I’ll have to go back and get my car which makes me nervous. I don’t enjoy driving anymore and talk to myself saying: “My foot is on the break. The break is in the middle.” I stay on the brake as much as possible in parking lots. Once in the parking space, I put on the parking brake. When I move my foot to the gas, I go slow and say, “Easy does it.” It makes me nervous just to write about it.

Deep breath. Another deep breath. Maybe some day, I’ll get my confidence back about driving. But I don’t want to drive long distances if I can help it. I’d rather sit here on the couch and watch TV while petting my cat.

I had prayed for safety and mindfulness at the beginning of the trip. Well, at least I was safe, because I was not hurt. Just my pride. Yeah, so I get more humilty. Okay. I am thankful.

To wrap things up, what does make me go “Wee!” in a fun way? Like swinging high in a swing. I’m not so much of a “wee” person. Maybe the ocean on a day when the waves aren’t too rough and they tickle me with foam. I wouldn’t mind swinging on a rope swing over a lake and jumping in, as long as I know the water is deep. Maybe riding a horse would do it. It’s been a while.

What would make you say, Wee?

Oh, swining a grandbaby on a swing. That would do it!

My granddaughter’s not a baby anymore.

Be safe and be mindful.

Update: Trying to wake up this morning, I stumbled upon this Ted Talk which made me realize my practice of mindful driving has become not so kind and a little bit shaming. So I was thankful for the idea of kind attention Shauna Shapiro shares in this video.

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For more streams of consciousness, rules, etc. visit Linda Hill at:

https://lindaghill.com/2021/08/06/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-aug-7-2021/

Good News Tuesday for July 27, 2021: Madrid’s Green Ring, Woman Rescued from Sinking Car, Recycled Barbie, and a Special Proposal

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Madrid is Building a Green Forest Ring Around the City

In Madrid, they’re starting work on a green ring of indigenous trees around the perimeter of the city as part of a bigger plan to absorb and reduce C02 emissions and to address climate change. You can read more about it from the Good News Network or watch this video:

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Police Officers and Good Samaritan Rescue Woman from Sinking Car

Police officers and a good Samaritan rescued a woman from a half submerged car that had flipped over and landed in a Florida River. Here’s the story and a video from the Good News Network.

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Recycled Barbie

A new line of Barbies is made from 90% recycled plastic. Mattel’s goal is to create “a sustainable, 100% recycled material for Barbie and its packaging” by 2030. That shouldn’t be too hard. Here’s more about recycled Barbie.

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Exoskeleton Helps Paralyzed Man Propose

Josh was paralyzed from the chest down seven years ago in an accident. With the help of an exoskeleton, he was able to get down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend, Grace.

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Good News Tuesday for June 1, 2021: Four Years of GNT, Court Orders Shell to Cut Emissions, Police Making a Difference, Working Together in Israel, and a Second Chance Pays Off

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

GNT Four Year Anniversary!

It’s hard to believe Good News Tuesday has been going for four years! My first GNT post was on May 30, 2017. THANK YOU to all my readers and contributors for supporting the good news, one Tuesday at a time!

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Court Orders Fossil Fuel Giant to Cut Emissions

A Dutch court has ordered Shell to cut carbon emissions by 45% to comply with the Paris Agreement. “It is the first time a company has been legally obliged to align its policies with the Paris climate accords, says Friends of the Earth…” Read more about this historic decision in BBC News.

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Police Officers Living in High Crime Neighborhoods Make a Difference

A program in Atlanta helps dedicated police officers buy homes in high crime neighborhoods. Even with the financial assistance and other benefits, it’s a big commitment. Officers are expected to work to help tackle issues in the community. Lt. Ralph Woolfolk, a 14-year police veteran, is one such officer. This article about Lt. Woofolk and the program includes a great video.

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Working Together

This is a photo I discovered on Facebook shared by T. B. Shamir who wrote: “This too is happening in Israel. My niece Tali working in one of Israel’s main hospital in harmony with her fellow staff – Jews and Arabs coexistence in the work force!”

Jewish and Arab Hospital Workers

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The Judge Gave Him a Second Chance

Judge Bruce Morrow gave a 27-year-old Edward Martell, a high school dropout/drug dealer, a second chance sixteen years ago. Instead of jail time Martell got probation and to challenge to make something better of himself. Recently, Martell passed the Michigan state bar exam to become a lawyer and was sworn in by the same judge who gave him the second chance. I first saw this story on someone’s WATWB post (remind me who please) and then on the Good News Network. The video tells the story.

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Good News Tuesday for Feb. 16, 2021: Successful Program Responds to Non-Violent Police Calls, Repair Don’t Waste, Wardrobe Donation, and Plastic Bricks

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Successful Colorado Program Relieves Police from Non-Violent Calls

Sending health care specialists to non-violent calls frees up police to focus on fighting crime. Since June 1, a program in Colorado has been sending a paramedic and a mental health professional out to handle low level incidents like trespassing and mental health episodes that would have fallen to police. These STAR teams focus on assessment and connecting people with services.

“In its first six months, the Support Team Assisted Response program, or STAR, has responded to 748 (nonviolent) incidents. None required police or led to arrests or jail time.” Here are the details from Denver.

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Europe’s Movement toward Repair instead of Waste

The EU’s eco-design regulations are moving forward in March with a regulation that will “define standards for repair and useful life making it easier to repair washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators and monitors. France is introducing an anti-waste law with a repair index for a wider variety of appliances and devices and aims to make 60% of devices repairable by 2026. You can read more from Next City here.

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Alex Trebek’s Family Donates Wardrobe

Alex Trebek’s Jeopardy wardrobe is being donated to The Doe Fund, a charity that provides, “work, housing, vocational training, continuing education and comprehensive social services to underserved Americans with histories of addiction, homelessness and incarceration.” Good Morning America has more on the story.

Or this could be for WATWB? Look for the CBS News video of the Atlanta school counselor who runs a food pantry. His name is Anthony at Carver Elementary in Atlanta

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Bricks from Plastic

Yes, we need to reduce our use of plastics, but we can also recycle and repurpose. Nzambi Matee of Kenya is a materials engineer and head of Gjenge Makers, which produces sustainable low-cost construction bricks made of recycled plastic and sand. They are winners of the Young Champions of the Earth Award. Ms. Matee will tell you more about their work in this video:

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Good News Tuesday for Aug 18, 2020: Donation Only Restaurant, Saved from an Oncoming Train, and Nigerian Ballet

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

A Donation Only Restaurant Where All are Welcome

Drexell and Honeybees is a little restaurant in Alabama. There are no prices but there’s a private area where people can go in and put their donation in a box, or not. Take a look at their website and be sure to scroll down and watch the video. https://www.drexellandhoneybees.com/

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In the Nick of Time

On August 8th, California police officer Erica Urrea pulled a 66 year old man from his wheelchair which was stuck on the railroad tracks right before the train came. Here’s good news from the officer’s body camera:

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Dancing in the Rain

Anthony Mmesoma Madu, an 11 year old from Nigeria, recently received a scholarship after the video of him dancing in the rain outside his ballet school went viral. He has studied at The Leap of Dance Academy in Lagos, Nigeria where his ballet teacher, Daniel Ajala, offers free classes to children who cannot afford to pay.

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I apologize if you’re having trouble with the “like” button. The WP happiness engineer suspects it’s due to my theme being “retired.” Maybe it’s time for a new theme!

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Good News Tuesday June 2, 2020: Police Join With Protesters, Space Station Arrival, and Newlywed Generosity

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Police Join Protests Against Police Brutality and Racism

Since the murder of George Floyd, many after dark protests in the US have been destructive, but in the light of day, the vast majority of protests have been peaceful. In several states police officers are joining with protesters in solidarity against police brutality and racism. Some are even taking a knee. This Forbes article gives details and photos. Below are two videos. The first shows police building bridges with protesters in Portland. The second is a summary of police officers walking with and reaching out to protesters.

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Astronauts Arrive Safely at the Space Station

Two US astronauts arrived safely at the International Space station when the Dragon capsule docked on Saturday. It was the first time a space flight left from US soil since Nasa closed in 2011 and the first space mission coordinated between NASA and a commercial entity, Space X.  Here’s more from the NY Times.

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Sri Lanka  Newlyweds Cancel Wedding Party to Feed the Poor

Darshana, owner of a small retail shop, and Pawani, a lab assistant at a state-run school, had planned a wedding party for 250 guests. They could have still had the party with strict social distancing, but instead, they cancelled the party and delivered the food to their neediest neighbors.

 Here’s more on their story and a sweet video

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Spay, Splay, or Spray Your Way to the Peace Train

Today’s prompt for  Stream of Consciousness Saturday:

“…spay/splay/spray.” Use one, use two, use ’em all, it’s up to you. Have fun!

There’s so much I could write about, but I’ll start with the prompt.

Spay or neuter your pet. There are so many homeless dogs and cats, so many killed because they were abandoned….   I’m feeling tense right now and sad because of the news in the US, and now, thinking of abandoned pets being killed in shelters…. I don’t want this to be a downer post, but that’s where the stream of consciousness is going for me right now. Consciousness sometimes means being sad or angry or afraid because of what’s happening….

Going back to spaying and neutering, there aren’t enough homes for them all, so I don’t understand why people would find it acceptable to breed more dogs and cats when you can adopt from a shelter and save a life. If we get another dog, when we get another dog, I’ll be looking for a shepherd mix from a shelter. But who knows who will find me.

Doodle, our Treeing Walker Coonhound, may she rest in peace, was adopted from a shelter or rescue by my husband before we got married. Her big walker feet would splay out when she got excited. It was involuntary. I wish I had a picture of her feet splaying. Here she is sleeping on our bed with her big feet.

 

Spray. The first thing I thought about with that was pepper spray. I’ve been watching news on the protests in Minneapolis over the murder of George Floyd. When I watched the video of the police officer kneeling on George’s neck for several minutes even after he became unresponsive, I was yelling, “get off him! Just put him in the car!” (He was already handcuffed!) But when I was watching the video George was already dead. Bystanders were yelling for the policeman to, “check his pulse!” and “He’s unresponsive!” Afterward, I cried. I don’t wish I hadn’t watched the video. It was important to see it. So many black men (and women) have been killed by police officers or “vigilantes.” This one was the worst I’ve seen. But they’re all horrible.

I’m usually optimistic, and I still have hope that we can do better. Sometimes things have a way of getting worse before they get better. I believe this is enough. My heart is heavy.

I know there are plenty of (?) some good cops in the world and in the US. I know at least one personally. There must be more. Police suicide in the US is very high. Some big changes need to happen. Police officers and cadets need a lot more training in de-escalation and community relations.  That’s an understatement. They need routine screening and supportive counseling.

Here’s my hope and vision for the future of my country where violence and injustice are concerned:

The US stays involved in the United Nations. We have a Department of Peace that gets just as much funding and status as the military. We have offices of peace and peace workers in every city and town that get just as much funding as law enforcement agencies. We organize for peace. We seek it diligently. We nurture peace and each other. It will not be easy. But it is possible.

I haven’t been smiling lately, but here’s some medicine:

Oh, yeah, my husband David just made a peace chair protoype. I’m going to paint some color on it. Painting is my medicine, too.

Peace Chair from Reclaimed Wood

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For more on SoCS visit Linda’s blog:

https://lindaghill.com/2020/05/29/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-30-2020/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

Good News Tuesday 2/25/20: Thunberg Foundation, 8 Hour Plank, Saving a Coastal Ecosystem, and Newlywed Cops Stop a Robbery on their Date Night

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

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Greta Thunberg uses Award Money to Start a Foundation for the Earth

Greta Thunberg, 17, won the Right Livelihood Award in December. The award is known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize.” Greta plans to use the ($100,000) prize money to establish the Greta Thunberg Foundation in Sweden. You can read more in this article from Global Citizen.

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62 Year Old Breaks World Record with 8 Hour Plank

62-year-old George Hood, a retired law enforcement officer, broke the world record for holding the plank position for over 8 hours. George used imagery of being a strongly rooted tree and listened to rock music while breaking the planking record.  He wants to break the stigma of seeking help for mental health issues.

His advice for other people looking to hold even just a 20-second plank or do one push-up is to just get started. (GMA)

I’m going for the 20-second plank.

Here’s the story from Good Morning America.

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Scottish Government Protects Important Coastal Ecosystem

Citizens and wildlife groups worked for four years to protect the Coul Links coastal area from a proposed golf course.  On February 21, 2020, the Scottish government decided to decline the golf course application. Here’s an excellent video from the campaign to save Coul Links including the message: “We have to put a higher value on nature.”

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

                                                            Margaret Mead

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Newlywed Police Couple Stops Robbery

Detective Chase McKeown and Officer Nicole McKeown have been married for six months. While off duty at their weekly Saturday night date at a fast food restaurant, they saw a robbery in progress and went into action. They chased the perp out of the store and caught him. Here’s the story:

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Good News Tuesday: Homeless Shelters, Pet Adoption Hero, Fighting Cancer, and A Police Officer’s Surprise

 

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Pope Francis Turns Vatican Palace into a Homeless Shelter

They could have made a lot of money turning this 19th century Vatican palace into a hotel, but instead, Pope Francis decided to make it a homeless shelter.  Be sure to watch the short video contained in this story from NBC.

In a related story, a non-profit in Denver, Colorado grabbed an old hotel to turn it into a homeless shelter.  Here’s that story from the Good News Network

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Superbowl Winner Pays Adoption Fees for 91 Homeless Dogs

After his team won the Superbowl, Derrick Nnadi paid the adoption fees for the 91 dogs in Kansas City’s shelter. But this isn’t just a one time thing.

“Nnadi sponsored a program during the regular season in which he paid the adoption fee for one hard-to-adopt dog after each Chiefs victory. All of the dogs in that program found homes.”         Source and story:  ESPN

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New Discoveries for Cancer Treatment:

Re-purposing Drugs to Fight Cancer:

Researchers have discovered that several drugs have more than one purpose. Medications for diabetes, inflammation, and alcoholism have been shown to kill cancer cells in the lab. Here’s the story from the Good News Network

Newly Discovered Immune Cell Kills Most Cancers:

British scientists were analyzing blood to find bacteria fighters when they “accidentally” discovered new type of T-cell that kills most cancer cells. You can read more in this article from The Telegraph.

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New Police Officer Gets a Surprise Visit

At the age of 42, Erika Benning, an immigrant from Honduras, achieved her dream to become a police officer. But there’s more! Her son who has been stationed overseas for two years showed up for his mom’s ceremony. Enjoy the video!

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Got good news? Please share in the comments!

It can be global, local, or personal.