175 Overdoses & 17 Fatalities

17 human beings who screwed up, yes. But also 17 humans who touched someone's hearts in their lives and who now have left broken hearts in the wake of their choices and addiction (selling their freedom, even their lives, for a high). These 17 people made a difference in their friends and loved-ones lives. 

The 17 are more than their addiction and remembering the good they accomplished should not be lost in the indifference of society who sometimes think they are better than them. 

The 17 were not 'unnecessary verbs' or Darwinian casualties (survival of the fittest and natural selection weeding out the weak). 

Many accomplished people die from addiction, too, including great artists, philosophers, judges, teachers, children of parents who loved them (they are as crucial to our world as great religious teachers who fell from social grace). 

"Indifference is the least we have to dread from man or beast. If equal affection cannot be, let the more loving one be me." W.H. Auden from his poem, The More Loving One

Happy Birthday, Candy Lightner! WE SAVE LIVES!

Candace Lightner, THANKS for using YOUR life to return love to our world as the first priority in Saving Lives! A person couldn't continue such an arduous journey without it destroying them or burning them out if their first priority was not LOVE. It ain't easy, but it's worth it!


Ultimately, if we love someone, we won't hurt them (at least not on purpose). And if we love ourselves, we won't place ourselves in harm's way by driving while impaired (again, at least not on purpose). So it seems that the objective is living and loving consciously, or on purpose.


Part of living an ON PURPOSE life means we no longer say "I didn't mean to" and instead we start saying, "I mean NOT to". If we live a purpose-driven life, then we'll never have to say we're sorry for something as avoidable as impaired driving (distraction is an impairment, too).


If we failed to take action and change our direction until it's too late (after a crash), then all we can do, at best, is as Oprah says, "Make our wounds our wisdom".


By passing it on the Message that impaired driving can destroy lives, we also make our wounds other people's wisdom, too. Thanks for all you do, Candy, so WE can Save Lives!


We LOVE you!