Thinking about Cal

I keep thinking about my husband, Cal. 
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Imagine. A 30+ year career in public health, much of it dedicated to injury prevention. Then the past 2 years. Pandemic. War. School shootings. So much injury, so many ways prevention would be better than trying to pick up the pieces afterwards.

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Ever since I met Cal 16 years ago, I’ve had a ringside seat to watching how his professional career shaped how he views the world through the lens of prevention.
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Sometimes he drives the family crazy. Wear your bike helmet. Wear it properly. Buckle your seat belt. Move that box, someone could trip on it. Wipe up that spill, someone could slip. The kids don’t like to hear it AND they know he’s right, so… yeah, they tease him for being too fussy, but they put the helmet on, properly, buckle up, keep the path clear, and give him a big hug and a “thank you for caring” kiss.
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I’ve watched him track the pandemic statistics. He created a flow chart and meticulously analyzed the data, watching the trends, following the patterns. He hated stats in school, but, hey, it was part of the job and hardwired now from years in the public health trenches. As he tracked the waves of illness and death, he agonized over how much of the misery might have been preventable.
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Then the images coming out of Ukraine and now the fresh horrors from Robb Elementary School haunt him. How can we do a better job of preventing injury? Looking back in hindsight, dealing with the aftermath, is simply not good enough. We need to learn from our experiences and find a better way.
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So maybe today we should give our kids an extra big hug. Be grateful they are safe. Forgive each other. Learn from our mistakes and get busier than ever building a better world for our kids to inherit, one family, one kindness, one step failing forward together at a time.
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Warmly,

Anne

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