Editor’s Note: This letter was submitted on March 22nd.
Dear Editor:
Positive News!
I have walked through Milpitas parks with my four-legged companions over the last 30 years. Weekday use and even weekend use of our parks being enjoyed by families have decreased with every passing year. It was about 30 years ago when schools started teaching Stranger Danger and local news began broadcasting news from every County, State, and Country with unintended consequences…. Families began being afraid to let their kids play outside…
Today, amidst news that has the world in pain, there are positives. Families and individuals walking, riding bikes, having picnics in the parks, truly engaged with each other and looking relaxed! I walk through Murphy, Ben Rodgers, and Hill Crest park most days. At first, there was one or two families out. Over the course of two weeks, I now see 10 or 15 different groups in each park; like dads with their kids, families on a bike ride or walking and playing… with no electronics! Worries set aside for a minute or two—just enjoying each other!
There is no airplane noise and very little noise from our freeways…. Usually after a rain the smog comes back in less than 48 hours…. Just since March 11th, the smog in our sky has lessened. It did rain 3 of the past 22 days… but even after a 5-day dry stretch, no smog.
It is so easy in today’s world and especially in this area to work long hours and enjoy little. Somehow high-tech companies have reset the normal workday at 12 to 14 hours instead of increasing staff.
Maybe our takeaway will be to spend less time in our cars and at work and more time watching the clouds and enjoying more of those we love!
Barb Martens