Do you like vanilla ice cream? Most people
do. I find I like the first couple spoonfuls, but then I kind of get bored with
it. I came to the ultimate conclusion I don't love vanilla ice cream last
Thursday morning at 0456 hours. I awoke abruptly and looked at the clock by our
bed. I had not been sleeping well because I had decided to stop writing this
weekly article.
That is correct. Stop. I was going to put cement shoes on this weekly story and drop it off the Coronado Bridge. A typical mob hit. I liked the visual in my mind of seeing the printed out email fluttering in the cold blue water as it sank rapidly, passing a few PCBs and maybe a mutant fish or two until it hit the sandy bottom of San Diego Harbor. Nice and quiet. No one could complain or be critical. My random thoughts would then slowly disappear over time, washed away in the saltwater. It sounded so private.
Some people say controversy is good.
It means people are reading what you write. I did not like the controversy
about the last two articles I wrote. I was going to write the following words
in today's lead story ... NO ARTICLE. What was that song? "You don't
know what you got... until it's gone". I liked the Counting Crow's version
the best since Theresa and I had a great time at their concert, but that is a
different story.
The sudden insight that awoke me in
the early morning hours felt like Sister Josephine's ruler striking my knuckles
or the unique sound of metal sliding against metal as a round is chambered in a
12 gauge police shotgun. I purposely use both of these metaphors, because it
was what got me into, "trouble". Some readers took exception to my
perspective on corporal punishment in schools and that I would ever possibly
think of writing an article that included a photograph of a shotgun, (click
here for the shotgun or the corporal punishment stories).
Several readers contacted me this
past week saying things like, "what your writing may not be good for
your business...my opinion of your company has plummeted...you should think
about being more vanilla...stay to writing something nice about people in our
community and call it a day...".
I was concerned, so I spoke with our
editor, a few friends and even consulted with some out of state family members
who regularly read 92127eweekly. I began to question myself why I write this
article? It takes many more hours then you would think and I only started
writing it on a lark. A challenge to myself. Something which has grown and
become more public and more widely distributed then I ever imagined. Even so, I
had decided to stop.
I know I can write like some people
are asking. Or so I kept telling myself. Safe stories. Not talk about real
life, or how I really feel. Keep it all non-controversial like any properly run
gated community, or HOA. Keep it within the lines and stay boring. In those
early morning hours, I suddenly came to another conclusion. This is America and
I am not vanilla. I am so far from vanilla. Forget about being
vanilla. If I were vanilla, I would be mixed up with Pinkberry peach
yogurt, lots of dark chocolate chips, nuts, and fresh fruit. I like being mixed
up. Even our, "pound puppy" kids are a mix between Chinese and Irish.
I would not change any of it for the world.
As for writing, I can only really
write one style. On the edge. Tell the truth. In the next few weeks,
I will be writing about our San Diego County Government and the idiotic
things they put their customers through. Sometimes our government does stupid
things. I know some people won't like the story. I am still going to write it.
We are opening a new Community Hub
(tm) at 4S Commons. A Community Hub (tm) has never been built before. I know
some people won't like it. I remember many years ago asking a close friend and
someone I deeply admire, named Jerry Sanders. He was not the Mayor of San Diego
at the time. His official title was, "Chief of Police", but we all
knew he was fine if we just called him, "Jerry". As we sat on
the front porch of his home in Kensington, I asked him how he handles people
speaking negatively about him. He chuckled like he does frequently and then a
kind smile crossed his face. He simply said, "don't worry about it, it
will always be there. Some people for whatever reason will not like you or what
you do. Keep making good decisions, treat people right, and continue on".
In my morning slumber, all these
thoughts were swirling around in my head. If I quit writing I would not be
doing what he recommended, "carrying on". I would be a quitter. It
reminded of the pineapple maze story so many months ago. Our boys, Troy,
Raymond, and Ryan would not allow it. Not an option. I can quit, but not this
week. Not because we received complaints. If I quit, it will be on my own
terms.
Only in an incredible place like America can people decide what they want to read or not. What business they can start, or not. Be critical of their government, or not. Open an email, or not. I can honestly write almost anything I want and the US government will not take me out of my bed in the early morning darkness never to be seen again. That is just one more reason I feel so very fortunate to be an American and to live in America. I may not love vanilla ice cream, but I do love the different cultures, different beliefs of our wide variety of people. It is all about choices. My choice is to write.
To further free speech and
facilitate better communication between us, I have asked our terrific editor,
Marika to start a new section in 92127 eweekly entitled, "Letters to the
Editor", (see below). If you want to submit a guest article or comment on
any of our stories or the information we provide, or anything else for that
matter, feel free to send us an email at editor@trustshay.com
Let's hear what you have to say!
Have a great week!
Ray & Theresa Shay
