The danger in seeing danger

ShareThis

Things don't always go from bad to worse. Sometimes, they actually get better.I've seen it happen often enough that I ought to expect, rather than doubt, all the things I hope for; good more than bad, happiness more than sorrow, plenty far more than want.But that is not the philosophy with which I was raised, or as I was taught to say, reared.My mother claimed she owed her education to the "school of hard knocks." Among many things, it taught her to march to a different beat -- the drum roll of a funeral procession.The woman, I swear, saw danger every place she looked, and took real pride in doing so.Tell her any plan -- the safest, most sheltered Sunday school picnic imaginable -- and she could instantly rattle off the top of her head five sure ways it was guaranteed to (a) kill you; (b) make you sick; (c) land you in jail; (d) get you pregnant; or (e) all of the above.Sometimes she was right. But right or wrong, she didn't care. Her point was simply this: If you want to avoid danger, you have to learn to see it.It was a habit she tried to teach us like, cover your mouth if you cough; say your prayers before bed; change your unmentionables every day lest you end up in a hospital and your unmentionables become the talk of the town.According to my mother, I never learned to see danger in anything, anywhere, any place or time, not even in the devil himself. Her words, not mine.Had she lived a bit longer, her grandchildren would certainly have assured her that I, as their mother, had not only learned to see danger, but was hell bent on teaching them to see it, too.Nothing in life, not even your mother, can make you see danger as clearly and omnisciently as the experience of having children of your own.I had three. By the time the third could run, I not only had eyes in the back of my head; I could spot broken glass on the sidewalk fifteen blocks away.It was a good thing I learned to see danger so well, because my children did not see it in anything, anywhere, any place or time, not even in the devil himself. My words, not theirs.They still don't see it, but far be it from me to tell them so.The harm in seeing a potential for harm is that you tend to forget it's not real; it's only a potential. The danger in seeing danger is you can start to expect it; and pretty soon, it's hard to see anything else.I don't know about you, but I'm ready to give it up. The whole seeing-danger thing. I'm over it. It served a purpose once but I don't need it any more.There are plenty of things that scare the living bejeezes out of me, and rightly so. But I am trying not to look so much at those things any more. For whatever time I have left on this Earth, I'd like to see more good than bad; more happiness than sorrow; and a lot more plenty than want.Last weekend, my husband and I sat on a deck with a view of the ocean, talking with friends, a couple we've known and loved for years.She was recently diagnosed with cancer. Together, as with everything in their marriage, they are facing it head on, aware of the dangers, preparing for whatever comes their way, and yet expecting only the best.As well they should.Some days we see danger in places it doesn't exist; other days, we look it square in the eye and see, by the grace of God, nothing but hope.Things don't always go from bad to worse. Sometimes they get better. Anything is possible.It isn't hard to see danger. The real challenge in life is learning to look for hope.(Sharon Randall can be contacted at P.O. Box 777394, Henderson NV 89077, or at www.sharonrandall.com.)