Full of Stories

Just under the surface, at any moment, I have a story itching to pop out. Every once in a while, someone who hasn't known me well or for long will say, "Is there anything you haven't done?" Suddenly, I fear I've told too many stories and perhaps like the father in Big Fish, the stories sound larger than life.
There are plenty of things I have not done but as a curious person willing to step out of the comfort zone, life has been interesting and full. Perhaps it's the story teller in me that searches for more. Stories are everywhere and everyone has a story.
More than the places I've seen, the people I've met stand out the most. My regrets revolve around missed opportunities with random people I encountered. While walking across a beach by the Yellow Sea in China, a young woman stopped me. She beamed a smile and said "It's nice to meet you" in perfect English. I smiled back and echoed her greeting, then walked on. I should have talked with her.
In York, England, a woman opened a conversation. She was a school teacher from Melborne, Australia with a keen interest in Viking history. We chatted a short while. Later, sitting alone at dinner, I wished I had asked if she had dinner plans.
One of my favorite stories is about a crazy night in New York City when I didn't shy away from an opportunity. It started at a women's workshop at a retreat in upstate New York the weekend before. (and that is another story) When several of the women learned I would be flying out of New York City, they encouraged me to go down a day early and see their town. They told me about a bookstore and a local hang out in Greenwich Villiage and described how to get there from Grand Central Station. The idea of walking around New York city scared me and I declined to commit to visiting despite their giving me instructions on how to navigate. They went home and I stayed a few days at the retreat.
After they were gone, and without having their contact information, I decided they were right. I should see the city before flying out. Things were quite different in 1979. Grand Central Station had not been restored and was a dirty, run down mess. As instructed, I rented a locker for my bags, then set off by foot down 42nd Ave. In those days, 42nd Ave. was also run down, dirty and filled with seedy looking "storefronts" and even seedier looking characters. "Just walk like you know where you're going and don't make eye contact," they had instructed this young, rural, inexperienced traveler. I walked miles, and miles, and miles but did actually find the bookstore and their favorite hangout nearby.
Suddenly, as evening set in, it struck me that I had no place to stay and didn't know how to get in contact with anyone I had met. Just a few women were sitting in the bar. One woman was sitting alone writing post cards, so I struck up a conversation. She was from Seattle, her name was Maurice, and she was traveling around the country meeting cousins she suspected might be gay. Her New York City cousin worked til 11, so she was filling time til they met for the first time. Then she was staying with him. She was humored by my predicament and current plan to hang out until the bar closed and hope the bartender had a heart. She offered that perhaps her cousin would take pity on me but they had never met.
Then magically, two women from the retreat workshop walked in; one from Great Britain and the other from Germany. They were staying with Marty, who had also been at the retreat. She was a carpenter and working to renovate an old building she had bought in Manhattan. She worked another job until 11. We had no cell phones back then and there was no way to know, but they felt certain Marty would take me in as well.
So, with my problem solved, these three women - fellow travelers in a foreign place - were my companions for a crazy night in New York City. We wanted to see the lights on Broadway and along the way we stopped in any interesting pub we encountered. It was a night filled with laughter.
Marty's building was on a street that looked and sounded like a war zone. Despite the heavy bars that barricaded the thick door, I couldn't sleep a wink hearing gun shots and sirens all night. But I was safe and in the morning she guided me on using the subway to retrieve my bags and catch the bus to the airport in time.
Stepping way outside my comfort zone, this was one of the most foolish but most memorable adventures. I should have kept contact with those women. In several years, I would be in Washington state and could have seen Maurice again. Some years later, I would be in England several times and perhaps could have seen that woman again. I suspect Marty had great success as she was early in the development of blighted areas of Manhattan. But at least I have the story to tell.

"DO SOMETHNG!"

If you are a gun owner and second amendment advocate, you should be most motivated to put an end to gun violence. The increasing gun violence, mass shootings and the resulting fear throughout the country is, indeed, a threat to your freedom to own whatever gun you want. Gun violence is an insult to those who are lawful and own guns.
The majority of gun owners are not going out and killing people. There are 120 guns per 100 people in this country. (https://www.euronews.com/2019/08/05/which-european-country-boasts-the-most-guns-) If we put it in perspective, the vast majority of gun owners are NOT committing gun violence.
Our problem is that those who are, are doing it in a big way.
It's similar to the effect of a plane crash. Millions of safe flights happen every day. One crash killing a large number of people creates high anxiety about flying. A series of similar accidents causes panic. Two involving the same plane or airline WILL get action. The manufacturer and the airline understand the problem. They waste no time getting to the root of the problem and preventing it from happening again.
Gun owners! This mass shooting problem is coming to roost where you live. While I don't own a gun now, there was a day I needed/wanted a few. I don't want my rights infringed on because of a few very deranged people who should never have access to any weapon. That needs to be our focus! What is motivating them to want to kill people? Fix that. How are they getting access to weapons of mass destruction that they are not mentally capable of possessing? Fix that.
We cannot just say "the problem is not guns, it's blah, blah blah" and do nothing.
If we want to protect our second amendment rights, we had better get this right. I am certain that no one on either side of this debate is OK with mass shootings. So, it's time to get seriously focused on resolving this issue. "DO SOMETHING!"