SUN Sailor Editions St. Louis Park | Page 5

sailor.mnsun.com St. Louis Park Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 • Page 5 America, your mother does not work here Back in my working days, I really enjoyed my commitments as a full- time editor and manager. However, I also inherited the role of part-time of- fi ce mom. I will confess that was not my favorite. I hated being the nag- ging voice about offi ce etiquette, but sometimes it had to be done. I was indeed the voice behind those “your moth- er doesn’t work here” notes that showed up in the offi ce kitchen. “If you make a mess, clean it up!” “If you use a plate, wash it and put it back in the cupboard.” Or in the restrooms: “Refi ll the toilet paper when empty. PLEASE!!!!” On occasion, my notes “Your mother does not work here.” It’s been a little more PEGGY than a year since I’ve writ- BAKKEN ten a terse note to my co- workers, but I am starting Guest to feel compelled to start Columnist them up again, this time Peggy Bakken is a former executive to a much larger group of editor and a columnist for APG-East laggards. Central Minnesota. Reactions wel- Retirement lifestyle come: [email protected]. means lots of travel, lunches at dives or high- got a bit hostile. I remem- end destinations and road ber once when someone trips. That means a lot had reheated spaghetti of bathroom stops – fast and sauce in the micro- food restaurants, roadside wave. You know what spa- oases, freeway rest stops, ghetti sauce does to the in- visitor centers, informa- side of a microwave? One tion kiosks, museums, art royal, red, splotchy mess! galleries and on and on. After a stern warning I am at a loss to under- that I might just pack stand why anyone using up the microwave if it a public restroom feels happens again, the note the need to leave rolls of would invariably end with toilet paper on the fl oor. Why does someone dump a hand towel on the fl oor instead of in the garbage receptacle that is 12 inches away? I just don’t get it. At fi rst, I said I would just ignore the messes I encountered. Within a few weeks of retirement, I gave into my overly obses- sive need to pick up after others and started to clean up restrooms. Whenever possible, I pick up the toilet paper that is strewn on the fl oor (clean and dry only!). I pick up the paper towels from the fl oor and put them in the trash can – and smoosh the trash down, too, so there’s room for more. I have wiped off the sinks and even refi lled the soap dispenser on a couple of occasions. (And yes, I wash my hands thor- oughly after my tasks are complete.) My totally unscientifi c observations refl ect only what I’ve found in the la- dies’ rooms – maybe you men are much neater and this problem never oc- curs. But ladies, I have to conclude, some of you are slobs. My compulsion to “clean up after you” has extended to other venues. For example, last fall I was at one of our metro department stores help- ing my son pick out a suit for a friend’s wedding. Two clearance tables were located next to the men’s fi tting rooms, dumped to overfl owing with charac- ter T-shirts and other mis- cellaneous items. Within the time it took my son to try on a variety of op- tions, I had both tables neatened up, sorted by Spiderman, Guardians of the Galaxy and Trans- formers, and then by size and color. My neatness obses- sion on the road is a bit of a mystery because I am not that neat in gen- eral (ask my husband). I have magazines, sweaters and cookbooks scattered throughout the house on any given day. So, America, consider this the big group email: “Please be courteous to others and pick up after yourselves.” The email concludes, as you have guessed by now, “Your mother doesn’t work here.” Anderson his voice not only prema- turely, but permanently. There are hundreds of others like Prince who have died of opioid overdose yet their deaths go unnoticed by most of us because they are rarely identifi ed public- ly, but they matter. They, ine the opioid epidemic in a three-part series that will be shared in this pa- per, across other APG properties in Minnesota and nationally. Our hope is to shed more light on the problem, highlight the damage it is infl icting and report on possible solutions that are being pursued. If you have something to share, whether you have been affected by it, currently struggle with opioid addiction or if you are part of the so- lution, we’d like to hear your story. With more than 47,000 annual deaths nationally, we can no longer ignore that warning light. The repercussions are not coming, they have ar- rived. Each day we con- tinue to sidestep this is- sue we lose another 130 lives. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 a community, we mourn- ed. His death, ruled an ac- cidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl, silenced SAILOR.MNSUN.COM like Prince, contributed something to this world. They were somebody’s child, brother, mother, sister, father, co-worker or grandparent. Their deaths should not evapo- rate into the haze of our hectic world. In April, we will exam- CONGRATULATIONS! Appreciates FEATURING NEWS, PHOTOS AND ADS FROM YOUR COMMUNITIES Spiritual Lessons from Animals Sunday Service, 10 a.m., Mar. 3 Youth program, ages 3–13 Tours Fellowship Temple of ECK Discussions ECKANKAR 7450 Powers Blvd., Chanhassen (952) 380-2200, Templeof ECK.org Worship Directory Terrific Kids Susan Lindgren Elementary School Share your weekly worship schedule or other activities with the community. Call 952-392-6875 for rates and information. The Path of Spiritual Freedom REAL PEOPLE. REAL INSPIRATION. LENTEN MIDWEEK WORSHIP. wednesdays @ 7pm Lunchroom Helpers and Recyclers Back row standing (Left to Right) Maurice Bolin, Landon Goelz, Nick Schardin (Lunds and Byerlys), Samira Aden, James Music, Tevalyn Vilayhong, Millee Revolorio Salazar, Sydney McGary-Walters, Farhiyo Ahmed, Pat Wells (Kiwanis), Fardowso Abdullahi Seated (Left to Right) Collin Faust, Eli Koch, Lianna Hess, Isabel Schmidt, Aisha Ahmed, Zakiya Aden Front Row (Kneeling) Lev Kurtzon, Lillian Schwandt, Annabelle Martinez, Carter Yem, Amira Fakier Kiwanis Club of St. Louis Park, Community Support Coordinator Kiwanis Contact: Pat Wells, 612-803-2015, [email protected] SPONSORS mountcalvary.org 301 county road 19 | excelsior METROPOLITAN FORD