So, last week was pretty much terrible, wasn’t it? With the search for I-75 shooting suspect Joseph Couch still ongoing near the border of Laurel and Rockcastle counties, school systems all over the region made the decision to play it safe and call off classes and extracurricular activities on Monday. When it became apparent that the manhunt would continue for at least another day, cancellations were announced for Tuesday.
And then again on Wednesday. And again on Thursday and Friday. Scheduled athletic contests, including Friday night football games, were called off. With each passing day, the concern about having folks gathered in large groups out in the open continued to grow. Despite there not being any additional shooting incidents since the preceding Saturday, the thought of “what if” presented just enough of a threat to totally disrupt thousands of lives for a solid week.
I had more than one person comment to me that the experience was “just like COVID all over again,” and I agree. As a matter of fact, I believe that many of us collectively experienced a certain level of post-traumatic stress as we got up each day, anticipating yet another announcement about an activity, a gathering or an event that would have to be canceled due to public safety concerns.
By day three of last week’s ordeal I felt a lot like I remember feeling during those difficult days of the pandemic – angry, depressed, helpless, disheartened.
As I type these words the search for Couch still continues, but area schools have decided to resume classes while observing heightened safety protocols. Athletic contests and other extracurricular activities are also back on the schedule as we attempt to return to normalcy after a weeklong nightmare scenario of not knowing if we, as a community, were safe or not.
That question has still not been definitely answered, I suppose, and won’t be until law enforcement officials have finally brought the case to a close, but I am glad to see that we have decided to opt for cautiously moving ahead with our daily lives instead of continuing to cower in fear of a troubled person who may or may not resurface at some point in the coming days.
All I’m saying is, last week was tough for everyone, especially those who had to endure hospital stays after being struck with bullets as they innocently drove their vehicles along I-75 on a random Saturday afternoon. I am thankful that nobody lost their life in this senseless shooting, and I am also happy to see our kids heading back to their respective schools and playing fields. It’s exactly where they should be.
Making matters a little worse in the Sherman household last week was the frustration of being scheduled for a minor surgical procedure in Lexington last Friday, only to be told that it was not going to take place as I was laying in the bed and waiting to be wheeled back. I won’t go into detail, but trust me when I say that this was the icing on the cake of an all-around maddening series of events.
I will be returning to Lexington this Friday, but this time it will be to watch the Corbin Redhounds play the Frederick Douglass Broncos. I predict this upcoming trip will be much more enjoyable than the last.
Finally, as this past weekend was coming to a close and I was telling myself that things were looking up for the coming week, I ended up having to make an impromptu trip to the emergency room with my daughter. Luckily, what brought us to the ER ended up being something that could be treated with antibiotics, but it sure gave us a scare.
Any parent knows that when something isn’t right with your kid, it’s impossible to rest until you know that something is being done to help the situation. This latest trip to the ER will probably not be my last, but when it happens I consider it a minor inconvenience to make sure that my daughter (or son) is going to be okay.
Loading up a kid into the car and heading to the hospital late at night is never a pleasant experience, but it’s one that the vast majority of parents out there will have to endure at least once, if not multiple times.
