We are traumatized FROM THE EDITOR

On Feb. 22, as calls came into local police departments that our schools were under attack, one thing became apparent — We are very traumatized in society.

ankfully, the reports to 911 that active shooters were inside schools across Colorado were untrue and proved to be false as o cers responded. However, the trauma that goes with these calls was very apparent. For me, as a mother and journalist, I immediately stressed out. I watched other journalists on Twitter make comments putting into words just how I was feeling. Many said as soon as the calls come in, we start worrying about what could be happening in our communities.

As more than a dozen schools were impacted throughout the day, Englewood made the list, and then Littleton High School. Littleton Police headed to the school and students were locked inside, leaving parents wondering if they were indeed OK.

e thing is, while other schools were cleared and quickly, Littleton felt like it took forever. is is not judge to Littleton schools or police, it just felt like forever for me and a reporter waiting for word.

I started scanning Twitter, where the trauma we are experiencing as a society became very apparent: From students tweeting that they were still inside a classroom hunkered down without any knowledge of what is happening on the outside.

From parents saying they have elementary school children without a cell phone, and they were worried because they had no way of knowing what was happening inside.

Tweet after tweet, parents said they heard from their child but still had no clear answers of what was happening.

As the minutes continued, the Littleton Police Department would tweet that “still no injuries” had been found. While good news, it was still stressful because it wasn’t the “all clear” tweet parents and students were waiting for.

For students, this wasn’t just a drill to go through what to do if this actually happened. While found to be a hoax, for our communities, this was essentially the real thing until police ruled it wasn’t.

Earlier in the week, my own children went through a lockdown drill with their school. Afterward, my 6-year-old asked some pointed questions on why they did it. I was honest with him. In reality, we just do not live in a world right now where we can lie to our children about the evil that can be lingering outside of our schools, public arenas ands elsewhere.

A threat or call about a shooting is never discounted anymore. All calls, all threats are treated as if they are real.

For those responsible, there is no excuse for the level of cruelty you imposed on teachers, students, parents, law enforcement and our communities.

While thankfully, no one was hurt, in the end, this day shows us that something has to be done to get the increasing numbers of mass shootings under control. We are past the time of bickering about which political party is right and which is wrong.

We are a traumatized society that deserves debate, compromise and true action that leads to healing and safety.

elma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media.

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MICHAEL DE YOANNA Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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THELMA GRIMES South Metro Editor tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MCKENNA HARFORD Community Editor mharford@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Th e circular bar was busy but not too busy. ere were two bartenders working the bar. Our view was of the beautiful snow-covered mountains as the restaurant was at the top of a ski resort. As the bartenders chatted us all up, we all took in the amazing view of the slopes, the mountain range backdrop and a gorgeous blue-sky

No rush, service was casual without being too slow. As we enjoyed our break we noticed a man had walked in and stood at the bar looking for a beverage himself. His accent gave him away as being from New York and his body language betrayed his not so good mood. As the bartender approached the man and asked what he would like to drink, the man blurted out, “Two bloody Marys.”

As the bartender started making the drinks, the man started assertively tapping his credit card on the counter, shaking his head and clearly losing his patience as the bartender worked on his drinks. I would have to say, the bartender makes an awesome bloody Mary, and he takes the time to make sure it’s perfect. As the man’s impatience grew, the bartender picked up on the vibe, and without speeding up, he quickly and brilliantly defused the situation, asking the man one question, “I’ll bet it’s nice

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LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com for you to be on vacation, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, and to be up here taking in the snow, the sun and this incredible view.” e man’s demeanor immediately changed. He knew what the bartender had just done, and smiling he said, “ ank you for that, and it’s wonderful to be up here and on mountain time.” I watched as the man took the two drinks back to his table and wife, and as he sat down, taking in a deep breath and gazing out at the magni cence and majesty of his surroundings.

If you have ever spent any time in the islands or in the mountains, you can immediately connect with the headline and message of this column. When we can spend time on a beautiful tropical island or in the majesty of the mountains, sometimes things just move a little slower. And that’s a good thing.

It amazes me that some people miss the opportunity to slow down, to ease the pace of the race when they are on vacation. We work so hard to save our money so that we can take a break, get away from the rush and crush of life, and bring ourselves and our family to a tropical paradise or winter wonderland, only to lose our patience, getting upset because the shuttle was ve minutes behind, or the line at the coffee shop wasn’t moving as quickly as we would like. And instead of letting go of the stress we left behind, we bring it with us

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