Kirsten Walker
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The Cart Before The Horse
Posted on June 8, 2015 by Kirsten Walker
Originally Published March 6, 2006
Last Friday I had stopped by Dunkin’ Donuts to grab a cup of coffee and had a few minutes to sit and sip before picking up my daughter from driver’s ed.  I’ll take 5-minutes peace, anytime, anywhere – it’s hard to come by some days.  Anyway, I engaged in some “people watching” and observed four college guys coming out of a tanning salon.  Being a warmish day I had the window down and caught a whiff of their cigarette smoke as they lit up.  I cringed.  Didn’t they listen to their parents, teachers and pediatrician when they said smoking was bad for them?  I wanted to lecture them then and there but refrained from causing a scene.
With tinted windows I don’t think they knew I was sitting there as they were on the opposite side.  I could hear their conversation clearly as they discussed how excited they were about heading to Florida for Spring Break and how getting a tan ahead of time would save them the potential of burning later.  Haven’t they ever heard the phrase “malignant melanoma”?  I wanted to get out and show them the cherry red spots appearing all over my torso and arms from my childhood in the sun.  Decided not to, might scare them away.
They laughed about how surprised “the girls” were going to be when they see their tan lines.  (Something I only thought girls cared about up until now.)  They discussed a few other things about what they were planning on doing in Florida but I’ll skip that part for propriety’s sake.  Like I said, I don’t’ think they knew I was there.
Flicking the butts onto the ground and not even bothering to grind them out, they hopped into their vehicles, new ones, SUV’s, Jeeps, a sports car, each one of them, remember there were four and one shouted, “C’mon, hurry up, we need to go pick up the keg before class starts.”
I sat silent for a few seconds, okay dumbfounded, and you want to know what the first thing that popped into my mind?  No, not the obvious of the harms of smoking, tanning and binge drinking, I know that all of those things are issues that each of those guys will have to come to terms with on their own.  At this age, they think they are immune to anything harmful or bad.  No amount of nagging, cajoling or pleading by parents or teachers is going to make a difference until they are ready or should I say mature enough to listen.  For some that takes decades but I won’t digress here.
So here goes…What really got me was the thought, “Where are they getting all the money to support these activities?”  Where do they get the cash for sessions in tanning salons, cigs at 5 bucks a pack, and a week in Florida and kegs of beer while attending college at the same time?  Is there some secret philanthropist out there that I don’t know about?
What happened to 12 year old cars at book value prices that needed clutch and br