I went to the mall today. And it was not like trips of yore. Gone are the days where I would leisurely saunter and wend my around the stores, engaging in window shopping and people watching. No, those days are gone.
Since the incidents of gunfire occurred at my local mall, I have been approaching trips to the mall differently. I get in and get out. I now have the destinations in mind of where I’m going. I just go to the stores I need to go to. And I try not to lollygag. No sandals for me, I wear shoes I can run in. This is totally irrational, I know. And part of me hates myself that I’ve succumbed to this type of behavior. But still, it is a nagging thought at the back of your mind: It happened before, it can happen again. Now, I can even tell myself that the likelihood that I would be in the mall where gunfire is happening is minuscule. But nowhere is safe. We live in a hair-trigger society. Nothing is sacred. Not your life nor mine. It’s a sad state of affairs.
I realize that times of a Mayberry-like existence are long gone. But sometimes I think we all might be a little better off if we really thought before we acted. Just like how Barney had to keep his bullet in his shirt pocket and not in his gun. Think before you act.
I’m Rosie Klepper and that’s my perspective.
