The Bitter Truth is Roadside Memorials to people who died, placed on the side of the street (also known as makeshift alters) comprised of photos, candles and stuffed animals are the saddest thing in the world. And they are so distracting that I have almost crashed my car while viewing them several times. They pull my focus as a driver away from the road. Maybe it's just me and I'm super aware and interested in the world around me. Maybe most people just drive by never noticing their surroundings. But I see them and they are a distraction as much so as those giant TV screen billboards on Sunset Blvd.
I'm mystified by Roadside Memorials. I don't know how, or why they start, and who builds them. And why they are placed where they are placed. When you see one does it mean that the the person being remembered die at that exact spot? I assume so. Otherwise why not have a memorial at a grave site or the victims home? And if someone is killed in front of your home is it rude to eventually take the memorial down? If not then how long should it remain? There is one tribute near my home that makes me sad. It's for a young man, a high school kid, who died near his school. After looking at it closely you see he was a runner, well loved and only around 15 or 16 when he died.
It started as the standard flowers, candles, teddy bears and card tribute and has now grown into a solid structure. The family of the boy have even gone so far as to buy the advertising on the bus bench to remember the kid who died way too soon. It's moving and lovely yet I wonder about people waiting there for the bus. Is it okay for them to sit on the bench? After all it is supposed to be a functioning seat to use while waiting for mass transit than a marker. And most days the candles, flowers and balloons prevent someone from actually taking a load off while waiting for the next crosstown express to arrive. Should an elderly lady have to stand behind the bench waiting while the alter sits comfortably?
Grief is a tricky thing. Each person goes through it at their own pace. If a bus bench honoring the memory of a lost friend of family member brings anyone comfort then they should be allowed it. Maybe leave room for someone to sit. And when building a roadside memorial maybe keep it simple so drivers like me don't crash into it and die. Then my family would have to build a memorial on top of someone's memorial and that would get way too confusing and that's The Bitter Truth.
I'm mystified by Roadside Memorials. I don't know how, or why they start, and who builds them. And why they are placed where they are placed. When you see one does it mean that the the person being remembered die at that exact spot? I assume so. Otherwise why not have a memorial at a grave site or the victims home? And if someone is killed in front of your home is it rude to eventually take the memorial down? If not then how long should it remain? There is one tribute near my home that makes me sad. It's for a young man, a high school kid, who died near his school. After looking at it closely you see he was a runner, well loved and only around 15 or 16 when he died.
It started as the standard flowers, candles, teddy bears and card tribute and has now grown into a solid structure. The family of the boy have even gone so far as to buy the advertising on the bus bench to remember the kid who died way too soon. It's moving and lovely yet I wonder about people waiting there for the bus. Is it okay for them to sit on the bench? After all it is supposed to be a functioning seat to use while waiting for mass transit than a marker. And most days the candles, flowers and balloons prevent someone from actually taking a load off while waiting for the next crosstown express to arrive. Should an elderly lady have to stand behind the bench waiting while the alter sits comfortably?
Grief is a tricky thing. Each person goes through it at their own pace. If a bus bench honoring the memory of a lost friend of family member brings anyone comfort then they should be allowed it. Maybe leave room for someone to sit. And when building a roadside memorial maybe keep it simple so drivers like me don't crash into it and die. Then my family would have to build a memorial on top of someone's memorial and that would get way too confusing and that's The Bitter Truth.
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