Thoughtful

To my son Tommy,

Your cousin Gabe ended up with a war wound from the beach the other day.  He was down washing his hands off in the water and he ran through a game of horseshoes and took one to the eye.  It was an obvious accident but there are some major issues.

Ask any of the older people and they will tell you, "You don't set up and play by the water" and they consider this basic and common knowledge.  Too many people, too many kids, and too many dangers.  No, in the older days you set up for the games much further up the beach no matter how hot the sand was or how far you had to march from your seats to the play area.  But these guys obviously didn't care about anyone but themselves and used no thought in how their actions could effect others.

If we disregard their initial disregard, we still have their actions after.  If I threw something and winged anyone, especially a child, I would go over and check on them.  These guys didn't bother making sure Gabe was okay.  You would think a "Oh my! Are you okay?" is the minimum reaction required.  Nope, they just played on.  Being a hurt child, you should check on them immediately and then you follow along or find their parents to explain what happened.  You spend the extra effort to make sure they are okay, they don't need medical attention, and that their parents are completely aware.  Gabe was bleeding and the wound was pretty darn close to his eye.

Finally, when they were approached by your Uncle Jack, though they seemed a bit sorry, they never really apologized.  They just stuck with their dismissive attitude and only showed a little remorse probably to avoid being pounded into the sand.

I would say that this is sad and rare but it seems to be the norm nowadays and par for the course.  Promise me as you grow, that you will consider your actions, you will remain mindful and thoughtful of others with everything you do.  Take the time to think things through before you set up.  If you do miss something and an accident happens, as they have been known to, then make sure you take responsibility and show your remorse in your actions by following up and not just with empty words.  And finally don't keep playing the game in the same place, risking more injury.  I hope with your generation we can reverse this trend of thoughtlessness that seems to permeate today's culture.  This was just a game of horseshoes on the beach but it seems to be a metaphor for many aspects of our society.

Sincerely with love from your dad,

Leo