thinking of London

my heart goes out to the people of Great Britain. i woke up to the news on NPR, and sat listening, hoping that no one had been killed, that injuries were small, and the news through the day told another story. and i ask why? and is there any place that is really safe? and can't people just let go of their hate? no answers here, no answers.

i live in a borderline neighborhood - my street and south is a pretty good, diverse, blue collar area with lots of great families and older folks. 1 block north, and it turns shady - lots of drug deals, gun shots, lots of listings on the police blotters, for several blocks up. a shooting a few years ago made me seriously consider getting out. but to where? what could i afford? and really, bad things happen everywhere, in every neighborhood. except on that private island that i dream of, where pup could run without fences, and no noisy neighbors would bother me with music i really dislike, and no backing up trucks would beep-beep their way into my dreams at 5am on tuesdays. the one drawback: it would require the mafia to guard it, and that gets into all sorts of weaponry and laundering of money, and i just have no training in that area.

neighborhoods get better and worse because of those who live there and those who care about it. i'm staying because i am so bold as to think i'm one of the good people, and i do care about having a peaceful, "howdy neighbor" kind of place to live. i hope i get to stay here a long time in my sweet little bungalo on a double lot with the garden of my dreams and lots of pup space.

and i hope for peace, and that London knows how many people over the earth care and ache and hope for them.