In defense of sad story by GJ

I've been thinking about my sad story in the restaurant. I'm faced with the question of who was it, in my childhood, who gave me a "friendlier world view?"

First, I think, was a gas-station attendant just down the street from our house. I probably met him first when I was 7 or 8. There was a huge promotion on for Texaco, and they were giving away fireman's hats to exploit that campaign. I went down there to get mine and the man was very nice; smiling and friendly...warm, like an uncle, maybe. On another occasion, this man snatched me up and out of the way of an on-coming truck as I tried to cross the street. I think there was also a neighbor, but details escape me as to why I recall him.

My overall impression is that many strangers tended to be kind and "outreaching" toward all children. Waitresses smiled at you, a policeman might pat you on the shoulder; that sort of thing seemed common.

When I was 17 and getting ready to leave for boot camp, I was summoned to a stranger's house by a woman from church. (I have no idea how she knew me, as we had only lived in town for a few years, and were not exactly perfect in attendance.) She called me "sunshine Jimmy" and asked me where I wanted to go for boot training. I told her Great Lakes, naturally, since it was only an hour away. It turns out that a relative of hers was an officer there and could arrange just such an assignment. First, I was impressed by her thoughtfulness, and second, nobody had ever called me that before. Is 17 too late to influence one's self-image? Hmmmm.

All in all, then, growing up provided a cozy, comfortable environment in which to function. There was no need to fear policemen, or beware of gas-station attendants, or shy away from one's neighbors. Grandparents could speak to someone's child, even offer small gifts, without being suspected of wrong intentions.

The sadness I cite is that those days can never be repeated. All ideas of "that big world out there" must be taught (and only by one's parents) with caution and prudence. A child has to work hard to feel confident about his journey "out there."