Category: Safety

Give Yourself A Cushion

I am constantly saying to my kids and reminding myself, “give yourself a cushion”, especially in the morning as we are heading off to school. We live quite a distance from the Middle School and the High School—give or take on any given day, it could be as little as 20 minutes to an hour or more to get to school based on weather conditions, traffic accidents, or construction.

Sometimes we learn about when those occurrences are happening through a traffic app, receiving a text message, or by radio. Because, on most days, we don’t know until later on down the road what delays, if any, we may encounter, I have encouraged my kids to allow themselves a cushion to arrive to school safely and on time.

There is anxiousness when leaving the house at just the right amount of time and then something unplanned or unexpected occurs and there’s a shortage of time. I’ve expressed to my kids that I love them and care about them and that safety is more important than rushing to be on time. Leaving with plenty of time to take a detour or hang out in traffic if necessary due to it being backed up or slow and go helps alleviate stress and feeling rushed.

On those days when we have left our home in plenty of time to get to our destination and any one of the above events has occurred, it has been a tender mercy I have not felt the pressure and worry of not getting my kids to school on time. I have been able to stay relaxed, laugh, and enjoy the drive interacting pleasantly with whomever is in the car with me, no matter the added length of time it takes to get to school. In addition, it is a tender mercy when my children who drive themselves on these longer commute days text me from school that they have arrived safely and were punctual because of the time cushion they gave themselves before leaving home.

When has your commute to a destination been delayed for whatever reason and because you left home with plenty of cushion time, you felt relaxed and comfortable that you would still arrive on time?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

Fearing a Dog Rescue

I have an absolute fear of dogs. When I was younger, while walking home, I was bitten from behind by an unfriendly dog. Since that time, I have experienced anxiety around dogs—small, medium, large, any kind of dog, even ones that are friendly.

This morning, as I was driving home after dropping off my children at school, I saw a loose dog near my house getting into a garbage bag sitting out for trash pick up. The dog looked familiar, possibly our neighbor’s dog. I drove past him, backed into my driveway, and then thought about what I should do. I immediately drove back to the dog thinking at the same time, “I want to help, but I’m afraid of dogs so I don’t want to get out and guide the dog back home. I also do not have the neighbor’s phone number with me.  If I went back home to get the number, I may lose the dog”.

As I approached the dog, I rolled down my window and spoke the name I thought may be his to see if the dog would respond. I said, “Hi, Hello!, go home bud, go home” with a soft and gentle voice and tone. He looked up and I knew it was him. Even though I have a fear of dogs up close, I like them from a distance and I was able to speak to him in a kind and friendly way all the while staying inside my car. For several minutes, I encouraged and invited him to go home and he slowly began returning back towards his house at the very time, right behind me, a car pulled up and the neighbor’s wife got out and came over to her dog.

I thought to myself, “How Cool”!  It was a tender mercy I was able to help guide their dog back home, even with my fear, without getting out of the car and the timing of the neighbor’s return home was fabulous!

It was also amazing when the neighbor’s husband spoke to their dog, the familiarity—how and what was spoken—was identical to how and what I spoke. In addition, it was a tender mercy I was able to briefly interact with the neighbors when I only see and visit with them from time to time as we infrequently cross paths. Although I was a bit self-conscious because I was still in my pajamas, my hair was a mess, my make up was streaked and my teeth were not yet brushed; nonetheless, I was grateful for the interaction and being able to assist in their dog’s return home despite my fear.

Have you had an experience where you worked through a fear to help with an animal rescue?

tendermercym♥ments~jld

Protective Honk

One morning, as I was leaving my neighborhood to turn right onto a busy street taking my youngest to school, I was unable to see around a truck that was on my left side, waiting to turn left. Not knowing if any cars were headed in the same direction I was turning, I inched out just a bit when the truck beside me observed my moving forward and honked their horn. I paused becoming aware immediately that it was not safe for me to continue forward.

Most often, when I am honked at while driving, it is not a friendly honk. This honk, however, was a protective honk. It was a tender mercy when the driver saw that I could not see a car coming up fast, they alerted me by honking their horn. I was grateful for the neighborly kindness. I don’t know who was in the truck, but I was grateful that they were not only concerned about where they were going, but also concerned and cared about my safety and well-being.

When have you had someone do something to you in a way that typically would be considered unfriendly; but, in particular instances, they were in fact protecting you, looking out for you and helping you stay out of and clear of harm’s way?

I think of the times when I’m in traffic and I have to break hard because there’s a sudden slow down. I put my hand and arm out to protect my passenger in the event there is any impact. It can catch the passenger off guard not expecting my hand and arm to go out in front of them.

Perhaps when someone is getting your attention to keep you out of harm’s way, their tone sounds like they are screaming and yelling at you when in fact their tone is of worry and concern—panic?

Maybe someone tugs your shirt from behind to pull you back because you’re about to step into the street when a car, you can’t see, is coming.  Or, they pull you back to prevent you from stepping into a hole or getting hit by a tree branch?

Or, somebody flicks your hair, your cheek, arm, back, or leg because you have a bug or mosquito land on you or a spider is crawling somewhere on you?

tendermercym♥ments~jld