The Kids Went Back to School This Week
By Susan Ellis of Key Life Journeys
The
kids went back to school this week. All summer my short street
has had little traffic. We even had a street party. But at 8.50am on
Tuesday this week the peace was shattered by slamming SUV doors as
children were deposited in the school at the bottom of the road. Now
these are primary school children so I expect the parents to be young
and healthy. Yet it seems the challenge is who can get his/her car
closest to the school. This is at a time when we hear that children are
not getting enough physical activity to be healthy. If necessary the
cars are parked across my driveway. Generally I do not have to get my
car out of the drive way at 8.50am. But it is my driveway.
Now
certainly the young man in casual shorts who got back into his car and
drove away within 5 minutes I’m sure would argue that it was so little
time. But it is the attitude. Like those who leave cars idling in
parking spots for the disabled while they dash into the convenience
store for smokes or to get cash from the instant teller. Like I’ll only
be a moment. The issue is you could walk those extra steps. Getting
your smokes, cash or taking your kids to school – you are capable of
walking those extra steps.
If you look at the videos I have
for sale you will realize my partner was disabled for 10 years. In the
days when she could still walk with a wheeled walker she would have to
unsteadily wheel it awfully close to some of those cars illegally
parked in her spot. How often they were bright red with plenty of
horsepower. I always wished we carried those stickers which read
“You’ve got my parking space, do you what my disability too?”
This
week in Ontario a new lieutenant-governor, the Queen’s representative,
was sworn in to serve his 5 year term. He is David Onley, a respected
journalist incapacitated by childhood polio. I believe our
lieutenant-governors fulfill the role of the conscience of the
community. The outgoing lieutenant-governor, James Bartleman, raised
our awareness of the illiteracy in aboriginal children and did
something about it. David Onley pledges to raise our consciousness
regarding the rights of the disabled.
If he is successful, then
my driveway won’t be blocked by healthy young fathers bringing their
children to school because perhaps they will all value their ability to
walk. Perhaps parking spots for the disabled will be there when needed
because the able bodied will care enough about others and celebrate
their own gifts.
Am I being too idealistic? Well let me put out
the intention to the universe that all of us have the ability to care
about our neighbour and can do unto others what we would have them do
to us. Now that’s not a new idea but one that could stop a few wars.
Let’s enable the next generation to value it.
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