I was minding my own business, loading a bag of ice melt into my trunk. All of a sudden I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard a voice I preferred not to hear.
“Ed, long time no see,” beamed Elmer, his gold tooth sparkling.
“Oh, hi, Elmer, how are you?” I asked, trying to muster sincerity. “I haven’t seen you for ages.”
“Well, I just got back from a trip out West,” Elmer explained, “to see my daughter and her family. Drove all the way. What a long ride!”
I sought to be upbeat: “But I am sure you had a good time; you must have enjoyed the leisurely trip.”
“Leisurely my foot!” Elmer complained, “I hate long rides, but I won’t get into those death-trap planes. I used to fly – I don’t have one of those phobias. But with all the plane crashes, no thanks.”
“Funny you should mention that. I was just reading this article today,” I replied as I unfolded the article from The Good News Network:
“‘2012 will go into the record books as the safest year ever for airline travelers worldwide. 3 billion passengers flew in 2012 on more than 93,000 commercial flights … yet not a single fatality was recorded in the United States in more than four years.’”
“Well, maybe it was a good year,” added Elmer, “but bad ones are waiting.”
I replied in exasperation, “Thousands and thousands of people were killed on the road during that same time. Driving is one of the most dangerous things you can do, not flying.”
Elmer changed the subject, “Well, I’m not going to argue with you. But I worry about my grandkids in school. All them school bus rides and them crazy gunmen out there with their machine guns. The most dangerous place for them kids right now is in school or on their way.”
“Now Elmer, you ought to be concerned about your grandkids. But you need to get perspective. All of us – including our kids – have always been in danger. School is one of the safest places for them. Actually, the two most dangerous places for them are in your car or near a swimming pool.”
“Ed, all that coffee has pickled your brain,” Elmer criticized. “You have the mind of a 4-year-old child, and he was glad to get rid of it! Nothing you said is true!”
“Well, let me dig up those clippings I have in the back seat of my car,” I requested. I smelled my way to them; they were buried under last week’s forgotten lunch. “Ah, here they are. This first one is about car accidents from CNN.”
“‘… [T]raveling by school bus is seven times safer than traveling by car or truck … more than 30,000 people are killed in traffic crashes every year, six school-age children die as passengers in school buses annually.’”
“The second one comes from the Center for Disease Control,” I continued. “‘From 2005-2009, there were an average of 3,533 fatal unintentional drownings … in the United States — about ten deaths per day …
“‘About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.’”
“Wow!” Elmer gasped. “You got me today, Ed. But you know, it seems like the whole country is walking on pins and needles after the Connecticut shootings.”
“Who can blame them?” I affirmed, “About 500 kids and teens die from shootings each year, mostly accidental ones – not massacres. Sadly, more than 1.7 million kids live in homes with unlocked and loaded guns.”
“That’s nuts,” Elmer added. “I have several guns, but I always keep them unloaded and locked – even though I don’t have any kids around. Still, it sounds like pool safety might be an even bigger issue.”
“Elmer,” I responded, “it has been a pleasure to talk to you.”
“What happened?” Elmer chided. “I guess these are changing times.”
Ed Vasicek is pastor of Highland Park Church and a weekly contributor to the Kokomo Tribune. Contact him at edvasicek@att.net.
Columns
Related Photos
-
ED VASICEK
Discussion
VASICEK: School and pool safety, according to Elmer and Ed
Driving, swimming most dangerous activities for children
- Columns
-
-
MAUREEN HAYDEN: Indiana liquor laws are confusing to all
Are they intended to regulate sales or level the playing field?
-
RAY DAY: Why not public schools?
School vouchers aggravate the misconception that private schools are better than public schools.
-
ED VASICEK: 'Ed'-itorial comments concerning the news
Chicago natives just don't lack opinions.
-
Hayden: From good to great in education
On the campaign trail last year and early into his administration, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said repeatedly that his goal as governor would be to take Indiana from “good to great.”
-
Mom’s simple advice still presents a valuable challenge
Most moms don’t base their advice on scientific research. Instead, their words of wisdom come from a greater source — the heart, where they store and process life experiences. Unfortunately, some folks don’t receive the gift of maternal guidance, for various reasons.
-
Wolfsie: Making bird calls
One afternoon in 2011, my friend Eric spent a couple of hours over lunch explaining Twitter to me and I thought I understood it all, but as you’ll see from my first few tweets, I wasn’t very confident: “Is anyone getting this?”
-
Vasicek: Mother’s Day stresses
For two hours, the lady sitting next to another airplane passenger boasted about her grandchildren, producing a barrage of photographs. She finally realized that she had been talking the whole time, so she tried to make amends:
“Oh, I am sorry! I have monopolized the conversation. I will listen to you now. So please tell me: what do you think of my grandchildren?” -
Day: Sports as I see it
Most of us have times when we want to vent our anger about things that happen for no good reason whatsoever and there are some who just don’t give a darn about what changes we have each day. Take me for example. There are things going on every year in sports where we are the ones who buy the tickets, yet we have no say about what’s happening
-
Hicks: The real cause of Indiana’s ‘brain drain’
This week across Indiana bright, talented and well-educated young people pack up their meager campus belongings and head out to new jobs. Their employment prospects, for the minority who don’t yet have jobs, are fantastic
-
House of Burgess: Committing virtual identity suicide
I joined Facebook Sept. 22, 2004. That was just seven months after Mark Zuckerberg and his cohorts created the site. Needless to say, it looked and felt much different back then. At its inception, the social network was only open to a few select Ivy League colleges
- More Columns Headlines
-
MAUREEN HAYDEN: Indiana liquor laws are confusing to all
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
Jersey Shore Open for Business
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access
First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
Officials: Truck Hit Bridge Before Collapse
Sheriff: No Sign Killing of 2 Kids Was Planned
Obama Defends Drone Strikes, With Limits
Raw: Jurors Deadlock on Jodi Arias Penalty
Boy Scouts Decision "First Step" Say Activists
Raw: Utah Teen Arrested in Death of His Brothers
Closer Look at Okla. School Where Children Died
Two Suspects in Murder Known to London Police
"Be Ready": NOAA Warns of Busy Hurricane Season
SeaWorld: Penguins Are Coolest Thing in Florida
