My Little Town

Last night, with much regret, I stepped onto the treadmill at the Simmons Center. As I left the gym, I noticed the moon and what a beautiful night it would have been for a walk. The last couple of years, I have been getting my workouts by walking in the great outdoors. Friday afternoon, that suddenly changed. My little town, doesn't seem so little any more. The streets my kids learned to ride bikes on, no longer seem safe. The sidewalk where my youngest learned to walk, now seems menacing. On Friday a few minutes before 3 in the afternoon, police cars buzzed in front of my office with lights and sirens blaring. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary since it happens several times a day. The street out front my office is much easier to maneuver than the congested highway. At 3, I met in the break room with other co-workers as usual. Little did we know, just a few blocks down, a 22 year old man was taking his last breath as he jogged innocently down the road in front of my office. When I got home from work, I turned to the news to discover in my little town, (Duncan, OK) 3 teenagers were "just bored" so they decided to go out and shoot people at random. 22 year old Christopher Lane, an Australian college student from East Central was their first and only victim. They followed him from behind in broad daylight and shot him in the back. The 3 teenagers (ages 15, 16, 17) were quickly caught, but that doesn't make me feel safe. How many of their friends are bored and fantasize about being in a gang, putting people down, leaving their mark on the world in a senseless way without any moral convictions to align their thinking? I can't help but think.... How many more are out there.... In my little town?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/20/police-say-teen-shot-australian-student-in-oklahoma-for-fun-it/