Not quite a native Ripley Countian - she attended only her last year of high school in Doniphan though she taught in the R-1 system for 32 years - Teresa (Pearson) Lee delights in surprising readers and herself with anecdotal observations of life in general. Maybe you can blame her St.Louis roots for a quirky humor and some slightly-askewed opinions, but never doubt she writes from the heart.

A Walk on the Wild Side

Posted Monday, July 3, 2023, at 6:27 PM

I’m gonna walk on the wild side, at least for one day. I might: (1) take off in my pickup truck before daylight to watch the sunrise from a brand new spot; (2) wear a tie-dyed tee I created; (3) walk a new-to-me trail; (4) dine in a Japanese restaurant; (5) stay up past my bedtime to watch an old scary movie.

Yeah, I get it. To most my list is blah.You might think I’d bungee-jump or rock-climb, hop a ski-lift or enter a jalapeno-eating contest. Nope. Way too hazardous! And my inner being does NOT want to sit in a jail cell, though that would be for me an out-of-the-ordinary experience, but Illegal stuff won’t make my wild-child to-do list. Simply, she wants me to periodically ditch my norm. The most daring activity I entertain is riding a hot-air balloon, around a park, maybe still tethered…

If breaking routine and doing the unexpected are the main criteria, we as a community might: (1) acknowledge and compliment a stranger; (2) pick up trash that isn’t ours; (3) volunteer to help in a community event; (4) resolve to contribute rather than complain; (5) spearhead or join a charitable cause; (6) stay informed.

That sixth item might seem unnecessary. We access social media and search engines incessantly. However, “Why doesn’t somebody do something about that?” is a phrase that hasn’t disappeared in the techno age. For one thing, ‘somebody’ around here might be doing ‘something’ but under digital radar. Newspapers work at keeping us factually informed about people, places, progress and problems that concern us here in the now. Local news tells us who’s doing what, where, when and how and why they might need assistance. If by chance ‘nobody’ is doing ‘anything’ - there’s your sign - to be the somebody who starts something to affect positive change.

Celebrate Walk on Your Wild Side Day this April 12 by subscribing to The Prospect-News. “It’s high time you went out and did something no one expects you to do,” say the creators of this holiday, Thomas and Ruth Roy. Online subscriptions are available.

(For April 12, 2023)