The following are letters written into the editor of The Pilot for the July 2010 issue. Letters can cover a wide range of topic and often are concerning local issues discussed in previous issues of the paper.
Just a thought …
Recall if you will all the happy emotions that followed the victory of our beloved Giants during the World Series Championships. Most of us attended the games or viewed them on the TV, and nearly all of us were part of the hundreds of thousands of local folks celebrating throughout the bay area, whether in our homes or on our streets. For a moment our TVs and lives were plastered in a sea of orange and black, we stopped to just enjoy each other and the accomplishments of our underdog athletes.
In the streets, in stores, in our neighborhoods; complete strangers went out to cheer together. Against nearly all the odds, we all got to celebrate a historical moment for ourselves and our local baseball team. This is not something every city or every person gets to celebrate so we really should feel great about being part of such a momentous sporting event.
What I’m really curious about is how we can continue with this thrill? Keep the rushes of the moment going? Spread the friendliness that made our communities band-together, both strong and prideful and always positive?
I witnessed strangers wearing SF logo and Giants’ gear greeting one another with a “Go Giants”, or just starting random conversations over the boys-of-the-summer and concluding such introductions with fist bumps or a loud, smacking high-five.
We, as a community, need to try to continue promoting this universal feeling of pride and take additional steps to keep up with open, friendly communication and acts. When we see people we often forget to take the time to stop and talk. All it takes is a simple greeting or a common gesture of kindness that can and should help us grow together out of this historical achievement.
We live in a great community. We share common sentiments of wanting a clean and safe living environment. We should want to add more friendly or neighborly acts as part of the package. We need to continue celebrating our joy with our neighbors, folks just walking the pathways, family members walking as a group, people walking with their dogs, and people shopping at the Nob Hill complex. The next time you stop at an intersection give a wave; a nod to those next to you, those that may be crossing in front of you – it can’t hurt and maybe you’ll get a nod back.
We need to keep the merriment going! Let’s all embrace the moment and not allow another 50 plus years to go by without taking advantage of these positive feelings, just a thought!
— Rick Gutierrez