Feeling Friday

There was a cat fight on my porch last night. My dog, Texas, went crazy. Those are some of the weirdest noises that I have heard.

My heart is heavy this week. A man was arrested and charged with kidnapping and murdering a hiker in Georgia. He is possibly linked to a killing in Florida and possibly the killings/ kidnapping of couple here in Pisgah National Forest.

Several forums are discussing what can be done about these types of situations. Should one carry a firearm? Should one not go into the forest if they don't feel safe? And a multitude of other questions and opinions.

There are times that I do not feel safe in the woods, out there alone, riding my bike around. But I am not going to stop going out, just in case something bad happens. That would be silly. I still ride my bike to work. There is a greater chance of me getting hit and killed on the street, than there is of my being abducted and murdered in the woods. There is supposedly a greater chance of being mugged walking around downtown than there is of being assaulted in the woods. ( although in my case, I have been threatened more times in the forest than on the streets. Not counting the time that some dude in Little Five Points in Atlanta, told me he was Superman and to get out of his face or he would rip me to pieces. I kept walking).

My point is that I am not going to stop going into the forest, alone, just because there is a chance that something might happen. I think that unfortunate things happen everywhere. I also think that positive can come out of the negative. So, should we encourage the negative so that positive can flourish? By all means no. But we should continue to love our neighbor. Continue to reach out to those who are in need. Continue to show compassion in the multitude of ways that compassion can be shown. Continue to forgive. I read this morning a story of forgiveness that is amazing. Chew on that.

Have a great day.