With “shine your light” still in my thoughts from yesterday, I hopped on Schwinn and chose to ride on the sunny side of US1, feeling the sunlight shining down on me. I noticed different things than last week when I was riding on the other side of the highway. It’s interesting how the ‘other side’ offers a new perspective. I heard an interview yesterday with the Governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, a Republican from ‘the other side of the aisle’. She spoke calmly and intelligently on staying true to her oath of office by keeping citizens safe and employed – balancing concerns about Covid-19 with maintaining a healthy economy – a policy I admire.
I rode past where I was on Day 26 and ventured further, stopping at a busy intersection, then turned left toward the beach. When I arrived at entrance 25, I saw another bike parked on the sidewalk sporting a sign saying “Open Our Beach”. The bike’s owner was a handsome 60-something guy with a beard. The back of his shirt said, “The most beautiful thing in the world is the romance of a lifetime of adventure.” Another policy I admire.
He was sitting on a nearby bench chatting amicably with a sheriff on the subject of his sign. The sheriff seemed open to the idea, even said he’d vote for it, “I’ll get my weekends back, if I don’t have to prevent people from going on the beach anymore. Not up to me though.” A blond woman passing by said, “You have my vote.” while another asked the sheriff excitedly, “Have they opened the beaches?”
The sidewalk was full of pedestrians, some joining in the conversation. “When Palm Beach County closed the beaches”, said one balding grey haired man, “all those spring-break kids were here being reckless. They’re gone now.” Another chimed in. “We could have one way traffic for walking on the beach so we won’t run into each other – one day to the north and the next day to the south.”
I liked the enthusiasm of the exchanges – people engaging with each other face to face, thinking creatively, questioning the logic of the current restrictions. An awakening could be happening, I thought. And hopefully not just here in Jupiter and not just about beaches.
I’m happy to shine my light on that. Maybe it’s contagious!
April 19, 2020