Just got back from a Tae Kwon Do School field trip to the waterslides in Sacramento. Something about 102 degree heat (we always say it's a dry heat) that seems to melt away common sense in people's heads.
We were getting our caravan together in the parking lot to return home. The last carload (our very time challenged instructor) was keeping us waiting. Out of nowhere a sedan sped through empty parking spaces, hitting a waiting car behind me. It didn't stop until it ran into another parked car with a mom putting her infant into the car. Amazingly the first car hit deflected the speeding car away from one of our students getting into one of our cars.
It turned out that the driver was a fourteen year old girl who had been given the keys to load up the car. A large group (about ten of her family) ran up to the car, telling her to get out of the car and starting to argue with each other. Very quickly the crowd swelled with our students, the family from the other hit car. It was one of those moments that felt like a mob becoming out of control.
Multiple people called 911 (including myself) but they were taking forever to come. Once the police came the family of the girl became more verbally abusive hitting the girl and then coming after the driver of the car (one of our parents) whose had been missed.
It was definitely one of those meconium hitting the fan and flying all over the place moments. The parents from our school moved our students out of the melee and things started to calm.
After things cooled down we all realized how fortunate it was that no one was hurt. A few feet forward and my car would have been hit on the side where my son was sitting. The girl who was nearly hit was able to jump behind a car door just in time. The infant in the other car was uninjured- very fortunate as she was not yet in her car seat. Her mom was safe instead of being pinned between her car and the speeding car.
I'm not one of those people that believes in random luck and coincidences. I felt protection for myself and the other people on the scene. Having experienced the front end of my own car being torn off by a semi truck, I don't take this new experience lightly. It gave me a whole new appreciation for importance of de-escalating hot tempers and preventing mayhem.
Snapping many "yo's" and thank yous to the Shoten Zenjin...
Dr. Mimi
I haven't faded into the woodwork. Just pondering about what to say.
This is my second weekend in a row on call, so I am a bit focused on my patients. My son had an episode of "acute testosterone poisoning" on Monday- so I have been working with him on attitude adjustment.
I've had snippets of ideas about writing about my take on Bill Cosby's comments on the state of affairs in the African American community, the humanitarian crisis in Dafur, Sudan and the recent Hip Hop convention on the east coast. Nothing has come together so far.
Just letting y'all know that I haven't left the building....