I have friends, really nice people, who don't read any newspapers or watch the news on TV. They never know about anything that's going on in the world. Oh, and they don't have a computer either.
When the shooting happened in Texas and everyone was discussing how horrible it was, and the wife said, "What are you talking about?" When she was told, she kind of shrugged like she didn't care.
Years ago, I had a friend who was the same but happened to hear people talking about the Cuban crisis--for those too young to have heard, during Kennedy's presidency it was feared that the Russians had joined with the Cubans to attack the U.S. People were running out and stocking up their food supplies just in case--and she asked me if what was going on was anything she should be worried about. I told her "no." As it turned out it was the right answer.
It is hard to read and hear about all the horrible things that are going on in the world--something new every day--but it is a reality. I'm not sure that protecting yourself from bad news by refusing to read or hear about it is the way to go. What if there really is a big crisis that a person needs to prepare themselves for? Frankly, I think we all ought to be ready in case something like that happens. It might not be a threat from an outside source, an act of nature could happen--certainly they happen every day somewhere in the world. It's always better to be prepared.
Where this couple lives, in the foothills like we do, the biggest natural threat might be fire. However, recently during all of our big rains, where they live the road was so flooded many were stranded in their cars. A tow truck driver made a fortune hauling people out onto dryer land. And no matter where we live, there are bad guys lurking to take advantage of unsuspecting people.
My mother always said it was better to be prepared than sorry. Having grown up during World War II in Los Angeles, I can tell you that my mom did everything that we were told to be prepared. Besides all the mandatory black-out curtains, we had a good supply of non-perishable food stuffs in the cupboards of the inner room where we could have a light on during a black-out. Mom had a great vegetable garden and canned the excess. She took First Aid classes and had a supply of medicine and bandages.
So, what is your feeling about this? Do you think it's better to not know the awful things that go on in the world or should you pay attention and be prepared?
Marilyn
Books by Marilyn
Showing posts with label World War II. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World War II. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Friday, October 31, 2008
Trick-or Treating in the Dark Ages (my dark ages)
My family didn’t have much money when I was a kid (during World War II) and candy wasn’t easy to come by. Halloween was the perfect time to collect a stash of goodies. My mom never worried about where I planned to go on my trick-or-treat trek, expecting me to be with a whole gang of kids. Usually this is what happened.
We’d start out going from door-to-door. As we ran into other kids we learned where the best treats were. Back in those days, it was the homemade cookies, candied apples and popcorn balls. We usually visited those houses more than once.
On this particular Halloween when I was around ten or eleven, my friends all tired out long before I was ready to quit–so I kept on knocking on doors by myself. I found myself in a neighborhood I didn’t know too well, about five blocks from home.
I had to climb a bunch of stairs and knocked boldly on the door. A mean looking man yanked the door open and it only took me a moment to see he was holding a rifle or shotgun. (I don’t know the difference to this day even if I do write mysteries.)
He squinted at me and said, “Do you know what I do to kids who come trick-or-treating?”
My heart was pounding so fast, I stammered out, “I don’t know.”
Of course I expected him to say, “I shoot them,” and I knew when my mom found out I was dead she’d be mad because I’d been trick-or-treating by myself.
Instead, he grinned and said, “I give them candy,” which he did.
That was enough for me. I said, “Thank you,” and high-tailed it home as fast as I could go. That was the only time I trick-or-treated by myself.
Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com
We’d start out going from door-to-door. As we ran into other kids we learned where the best treats were. Back in those days, it was the homemade cookies, candied apples and popcorn balls. We usually visited those houses more than once.
On this particular Halloween when I was around ten or eleven, my friends all tired out long before I was ready to quit–so I kept on knocking on doors by myself. I found myself in a neighborhood I didn’t know too well, about five blocks from home.
I had to climb a bunch of stairs and knocked boldly on the door. A mean looking man yanked the door open and it only took me a moment to see he was holding a rifle or shotgun. (I don’t know the difference to this day even if I do write mysteries.)
He squinted at me and said, “Do you know what I do to kids who come trick-or-treating?”
My heart was pounding so fast, I stammered out, “I don’t know.”
Of course I expected him to say, “I shoot them,” and I knew when my mom found out I was dead she’d be mad because I’d been trick-or-treating by myself.
Instead, he grinned and said, “I give them candy,” which he did.
That was enough for me. I said, “Thank you,” and high-tailed it home as fast as I could go. That was the only time I trick-or-treated by myself.
Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com
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