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July 30th - 31st & August 1st
70th Annual Georgia Mountain Fair 7
August 14th - 22nd
Gene Watson/Janie Fricke/Marty Haggard
Saturday, September 5th
Happy Together Tour 2020
Saturday, September 12th
LandFest 2020
September 17th, 18th & 19th
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PERSONAL SAFETY
DON’T JUMP OFF
A BRIDGE JUST YET
Life goes on. That is what we
keep saying to ourselves. But I
think we are all getting a little
sideways these days.
Covid-19 wasn’t in
the bag, yet we started
acting as if it never
existed. Crowds on July
4 completely ignored
the distancing advice
and yes, they were
kids, meaning the
under-25 crowd - you
know, the ones who
will live forever.
They had to close
the beaches again to
keep the knuckleheads
from congregating
there. The information
is out there, although
I too am getting a bit
tired of ABC-TV anchor
David Muir’s over
the top “Doom and
Gloom Report of the
Day.” (Another thing,
David: sit back in the chair and do
something about your 12th grade
haircut! Am I too critical?)
Who thought we would get
to this point when we are quite
sure we are losing our collective
noodles and becoming those
weird uncles who used to show up
uninvited at reunions?
“Hey Uncle Steve, what have
you been up to?”
“Oh, nothing much. Quarantine
and all, sitting around eating Tater
Tots with Elvis.”
I, however, choose to think
of this as an opportunity to be
that guy: the unfiltered one who
creates awkward moments with
abrasive responses to simple
questions;, the guy who absolutely
and unlimitedly will offer up
his advice and then use the
quarantine as an excuse. It’s great!
It worked so well that the guy
who called me saying he’s been
trying to reach me about my car’s
extended warranty actually hung
up on me!
I thought I would miss baseball
more than I actually do. They
canceled the minor-league season.
I loved watching the minors. As
far as the majors? Not interested.
They whine too much and
why pay all that money to see
millionaires play?
What about all the social
unrest? That’s a story for another
STAY SAFE
Steve Rose is a retired
Sandy Springs Police
Captain, veteran Fulton
County police officer and
freelance writer. He is the
author the book “Why
Do My Mystic Journeys
Always Lead to the Waffle
House?” and the column
“Viewfrom a Cop.”
day but a piece of advice from me
when I’m in uniform. Stop flipping
me off!
It doesn’t hurt my feelings—in
fact, it’s soothing. I
have thick skin and
married twice. There
is nothing you can
say that has not been
thrown at me dozens of
times before.
And, while we’re on
the topic, what in the
world do you think
will come of the talk
of “defunding” police
that has become so
popular? You will feel
the effects and you’re
not going to like it.
What do you think
happens when they
cut money from the
police budget? Services
are affected. Non
emergency calls just
sit there, waiting for
the next available officer, already
backed up seven calls.
Any police call can turn
dangerous so the plan to send
social workers on calls involving
mental issues is a design to get
someone killed. Any cop will tell
you “normal” calls easily become
violent. Believe me, it’s not the
answer to the problem.
Still, I would like to wake up
one day thinking the world isn’t
slowly circling the drain.
I would like to hear national
news that actually makes sense,
decisions made on facts, not
political agendas, and problems
objectively addressed rather than
sticking a Band-Aid on them
hoping for another day for the
problems to magically disappear.
And so, here we are, marching
through the forest of the
unknown, wearing our designer
masks and wondering if those
who do not are too vain or too
lazy to consider it a small step to
helping us stay alive. It isn’t too
much to ask.
Still, with all that’s going on, we
have a unique ability to adapt to
the conditions, and that’s how we
beat this coronavirus. Don’t jump
from the bridge just yet because
there’s a lot to live for—unless the
cable goes out.
Then, you’d better make room
for me.
AUGUST 2020
ATLANTASENIORLIFE.COM
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