Dear LPG, 

One thing we learn over time is a sense of justice, although each of us has slightly differing guidelines.   I doubt if anyone can get very far in life without finding themselves having had one of those ‘what if’ thoughts that are followed by a ‘just in case’ reaction.  

I find them quite annoying because, when they kick in, they crowd your mind and interrupt your train of thought no matter how much you try to ignore them, so you just have to listen and react with appropriate common sense.   In my experience they can, and nearly always do, get so bad that nearly everyone will have at least one that we will start routinely reacting to before even bothering to have such thoughts in the first place. 

This was the thinking the inspiration for the poem that follows…   

 JUST IN CASE

I suppose you could say that I am too fussy,
And you may be absolutely right about that.
You may even gather that I am a ‘Perfectionist’,
Which doesn’t go down very well… does it?

In this world in which we are living,
People’s moods change so fast.
One moment we are smiling and sharing,
The next minute weapons of destruction are flying about.

And you better not try to say you are sorry,
Or attempt in any way to make amends;
Do not look, or smile or do anything silly,
“Just in case” you hurt somebody’s feelings.

But I like to make people happy,
And I love to make them smile;
So “Just in case” you are worried in mind,
Think about this for a while.

I like to check things over and over,
I try my very best not to let others down;
I hate to be a late bird like some people are,
My yes means yes and my no means no!

At nights I check all doors and windows,
To be sure that I’m safe in my house;
I regularly monitor all appliances,
“Just in case” there’s a need for repair!

I try to keep my home tidy,
“Just in case” a visitor drops in.
And just in case you are now wondering,
I am not losing it!  I am just being cautious!

©2017 by Beverly Gooden Wilson