That’s why I strongly feel people should have a designated person they are in touch with by email, text or phone every 24 hours. It just takes a few seconds to text, “Hi.” If there is no response for a day, then a neighbor can be asked to check on the person. Police are willing to do “welfare” checks to see if the person is alright if there is cause for concern.
I actually know of an elderly man and woman, both widowed and living alone, who would be in touch by email. When the man failed to respond to the woman in a timely manner, she called the police. Turns out he had suffered a stroke. Unfortunately he died a week later, but at least he wasn’t lying on the floor for several days. A safety chavruta can be a friend, relative or even a bikur cholim volunteer. There would be no lack of volunteers for such an easy mitzvah with its life-saving potential.
Being mindful is a necessity when children are involved. This includes making sure there are no sleeping infants in the car – always look in the back before you shut your door. When you are by a pool or lake, or giving a young child a bath, be aware at all times; it’s not a good idea to be texting or looking away.
Speaking of texting, when one is walking, being distracted can be dangerous. I have to admit that I have been guilty of being “unalert” at times when looking at a phone screen, even stepping off a curb and not noticing the light had turned red and almost walking into moving traffic.
It is important that children are taught to be mindful when running or biking on the sidewalk or when crossing a driveway. Stopping and checking that no cars are backing up must become an ingrained habit. When pre-schoolers are involved, parents or babysitters must ensure the kids do not get too far ahead of them. Easier said than done, but to the best of one’s ability, kids must be taught to stop and look.
It goes without saying that if you are driving a car – which can be an instrument of mass destruction – you need to be extremely alert. The carnage caused by distracted driving because people are looking down at their phones is horrific. It ruins the lives of both the victims of the “accident” and the driver who must live with the tragic, irreversible repercussions of his/her inattentiveness.
It’s a good idea to look behind you when you get out of a taxi or off a train or bus to make sure you left nothing on your seat or that your wallet or cell phone didn’t slip out of your pocket. By being mindful, you can save yourself the hours of stress and aggravation involved in replacing credit cards and IDs. This is especially true of women who it seems keep so many important items, like passports, birth certificates, citizenship documents and all of their credit cards with them. If they lose their purse or it is stolen…
Unless you need the item, be mindful and leave it a drawer!