a positive change
Jun. 16th, 2019 10:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
asakiyumeTomorrow the second session of my jail job starts. It's been, so far, highly rewarding and highly stressful. So anyway, from tomorrow I'll be back to pretty much only posting on Fridays and weekends, probably.
But so today I thought I'd share something I'm proud of, a small thing, but maybe by way of encouraging everyone else out there to be proud of similar things that you do. We have to celebrate the small victories--it's our food for keeping on going.
It's this:
This is a guard rail for a bridge over a small stream. There's a pretty significant drop--like 30 feet maybe? It's hard to tell from the photo, but the sidewalk slopes down toward the guard rail and the drop, presumably so rainwater can drain off. But it also means if you're a little kid on a tricycle or your first two-wheeler and you're doing haphazard little-kid steering, you're going to maybe veer that way.
Now look at the vertical element that supports the guard rail. Do you see how it's in two pieces (not counting that black thing between the vertical element and the actual rail)? A low piece and then a piece that raises it up?
About a year ago, my neighbor and I were walking here. This area is a development, and the road was still under construction (it still is under construction, further up), although the bridge, sidewalk, and guardrail were already in place. The thing was, the guardrail was fastened to the lower vertical element only--there was no upper piece. It only came up to my shins. "This seems really dangerous," my friend said, and I agreed. The road is a gentle incline as you look up it, or a decline coming the other direction--it was too easy to imagine some kid coming down and going over the nonfunctional guardrail.
"We should tell someone," I said. We thought vaguely about the town's highway department--but the road is still under construction. Better, I thought, to talk to the guys *making* it and see if they'd fix it.
So I kept my eyes open, and eventually I happened to be passing by on a day when people were working on the road. First I asked a young guy about the guard rail, explaining my concern. He thought it was probably too late to do anything about it, but he referred me over to an older guy. After I got done talking to the older guy, he sighed a deep sigh and said he'd talk to "the owner" (I guess the developer?)
And I went away thinking, Well, they probably won't do anything, but at least I've mentioned it.
And then some weeks later I was walking through, and I saw they'd added the second bit of metal to the vertical element, raising the height of the guardrail. I felt a HUGE SENSE OF TRIUMPH!
I mean, I still think they could have done it better--like set the guard rail into the concrete **before** the point at which the concrete slopes downward. But raising the guard rail definitely make things safer.
Sometimes when you speak up, things do change, and if you happen to notice this, take joy. There's enough depressing stuff around that we have to cultivate the joy.
But so today I thought I'd share something I'm proud of, a small thing, but maybe by way of encouraging everyone else out there to be proud of similar things that you do. We have to celebrate the small victories--it's our food for keeping on going.
It's this:
This is a guard rail for a bridge over a small stream. There's a pretty significant drop--like 30 feet maybe? It's hard to tell from the photo, but the sidewalk slopes down toward the guard rail and the drop, presumably so rainwater can drain off. But it also means if you're a little kid on a tricycle or your first two-wheeler and you're doing haphazard little-kid steering, you're going to maybe veer that way.
Now look at the vertical element that supports the guard rail. Do you see how it's in two pieces (not counting that black thing between the vertical element and the actual rail)? A low piece and then a piece that raises it up?
About a year ago, my neighbor and I were walking here. This area is a development, and the road was still under construction (it still is under construction, further up), although the bridge, sidewalk, and guardrail were already in place. The thing was, the guardrail was fastened to the lower vertical element only--there was no upper piece. It only came up to my shins. "This seems really dangerous," my friend said, and I agreed. The road is a gentle incline as you look up it, or a decline coming the other direction--it was too easy to imagine some kid coming down and going over the nonfunctional guardrail.
"We should tell someone," I said. We thought vaguely about the town's highway department--but the road is still under construction. Better, I thought, to talk to the guys *making* it and see if they'd fix it.
So I kept my eyes open, and eventually I happened to be passing by on a day when people were working on the road. First I asked a young guy about the guard rail, explaining my concern. He thought it was probably too late to do anything about it, but he referred me over to an older guy. After I got done talking to the older guy, he sighed a deep sigh and said he'd talk to "the owner" (I guess the developer?)
And I went away thinking, Well, they probably won't do anything, but at least I've mentioned it.
And then some weeks later I was walking through, and I saw they'd added the second bit of metal to the vertical element, raising the height of the guardrail. I felt a HUGE SENSE OF TRIUMPH!
I mean, I still think they could have done it better--like set the guard rail into the concrete **before** the point at which the concrete slopes downward. But raising the guard rail definitely make things safer.
Sometimes when you speak up, things do change, and if you happen to notice this, take joy. There's enough depressing stuff around that we have to cultivate the joy.
no subject
Date: 2019-06-16 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-06-16 03:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-06-16 04:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-06-16 06:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-06-16 05:41 pm (UTC)You'll probably never find out, but one day, a kid or an adult will be spared a nasty fall by your speaking up. Go you!
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Date: 2019-06-16 06:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-06-16 07:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-06-16 07:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-06-16 08:42 pm (UTC)Congratulations! Making the world safer is important.
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Date: 2019-06-16 09:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-06-16 10:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-06-17 02:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-06-17 12:34 pm (UTC)Joy. Yes, joy!
no subject
Date: 2019-06-18 10:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-06-22 11:53 am (UTC)As it was, the rail was pretty close to completely ineffectual, making you wonder how it got built that way in the first place.
The wonder of these seemingly small--but brave and concerned--actions is that you might never know of a saved life, a prevented injury, a better-designed future rail, etc., but it encourages to you continue to fight the good fight and awakens others to the need to do so as well. *hugs*
no subject
Date: 2019-06-24 02:08 am (UTC)Thank you, my dear.