moving car to not see us. (And the loud noise they make going across the rough pavement reminds the drivers to look, too!) That's important for us kids, because we aren't as visible as adults, and it keeps us safe from moving cars that might not see us. It's also good for the people driving near us, because they don't worry so much about where the kids are, and whether they're going to dart into harm's way. It also makes it easier to park, because these strays usually take up a parking space. The third "win": store workers have less work to do, gathering up the strays. Dad says this keeps costs down, and that's really important for the store and the shoppers.
The more I think about it, there are other wins that Dad hasn't told us about. Dad wins, because he doesn't worry so much that someone might back out and hit us, or even him. He's tall, but sometimes drivers can't see everything that's behind the car. When we first started bringing in the strays, it was pretty embarrassing. That was a big "LOSE," as far as I could see. I never saw
anyone else do it, and I usually had other things on my mind. Now it's just something we do. Dad says that little choices like this make our world a better place, one act at a time. I think he's right.
Written by Amanda Brophy at the age of 12; Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 3 (2005).