Negative Nancys

I really enjoy Facebook (tm) because it allows me to observe the foibles of human conduct, without really getting close to anyone. As I age, I keep my close friends closer than ever, and enjoy keeping others at a long arm's distance. With FB, I can act out my inner (after a few drinks) outer wise ass, and blow off psychic steam. For the second time this year, our quiet street was the scene of a pretty good car wreck. Several months ago, a lawyer I'll call Evan (since that's his name) was taking his 15 year old daughter on her very first driving lesson. She overshot the turn in front of my house, took out the street sign, and ended up perched on our neighbor's oolite ridge. No one was hurt, fortunately. Yesterday, mere yards from that wreck, another neighbor was taking HER daughter on her first driving lesson, and she overshot the turn, and plowed into our neighbor Susan's Buick SUV, which was parked off the street. Susan's husband Pat and I often chat at that VERY sport -- usually when we meet after taking out the trash, of fetching the mail. Had the girl hit us, it would have been decidedly less funny, but no one was there except the Buick. The neighbor, a lovely Persian lady, immediately alerted Susan, and assured her her insurance company would pay all damages. So here comes the funny FB part: Susan posted a photo of her car, with the comment that she hoped her week would get better, as someone came along and smashed it (the car, not the week). Her friends immediately posted how horrible it was in Miami, with folks smashing into cars and then taking off. Some wrote "typical Miami story," and our city without "taking responsibility." The problem was, they were all dead wrong -- as the neighbor DID alert Susan, and is making things right. I started to wonder why folks are quick to assume the negative -- the bad in people. It's true we have our share of hit and runs here -- probably mostly due to stupid laws that essentially encourage someone who is drunk and causes an accident to take off, lest the cops be able to prove intoxication at the time of a crash... But still... Earlier this week, there was a tale about a woman driving her 5 month old nephew in on the Dolphin. The boy was a preemie, and had breathing problems. The baby stopped breathing, and the aunt started CPR -- immediately joined by some cops and firemen who were stuck in traffic behind her. The baby survived and is now in Dr. Barry's unit --doing well, because of the goodness of fellow citizens. So take THAT, negative Nancys! There is plenty of good and decent folks around, just as there are some stinkers. In "friendly" Gainesville, D2's boyfriend's car was nailed just like Susan's -- and the guy who did it drove off, leaving the vehicle totaled. So much for friendly North Florida... Again, the main thing is, no one got hurt. But I do think maybe the DOT needs to reduce our local speed limit -- to a crawl. Boca has scary elderly drivers -- we have scary new ones. Maybe we ought to make first timers stick to the Palmetto High parking lot.