GUEST BELI-BLOGGER FORD CHURCH: TO CONCEAL OR NOT TO CONCEAL?

Last week I was on my way to New York City to attend the wedding of a good college buddy of mine. As I went through the security line at Denver International Airport, I was asked if it was ok if they rescanned my backpack. ìSure, no problem, take your time,î was my nonchalant reply. Then several security officials huddled around the monitor with concerned looks on their faces. After a minute or two of wondering what in the hell they were looking at, a security officer came over to me, pulled out a 5 1/2î Rambo survival knife out of my backpack, and asked if the knife belonged to me. My heart plunged into my stomach and my body started to go numb. I was charged with a 38-117(a) violation for having a concealed weapon. The officer confiscated the knife and luckily allowed me to continue with my travels to New York. I have a mandatory court date later this summer and have to go tell my story to the judge.

I am a teacher with the Boulder Valley School District where I teach a class called the Community Adventure Program at New Vista High School in Boulder, Colorado. The class I teach blends adventure, wilderness skills, and service in order to connect high school students with their community. The knife belonged to a student of mine and I completely forgot that I had her knife in the side pocket of my backpack before entering the airport. Some people forget fingernail clippers, scissors, and the occasional pocketknife. I just happened to forget a 5 1/2î Rambo survival knife. A spiral of negative thoughts went through my mind wondering how this blemish on my flawless record would impact my ambitions of teaching my class and bringing this program to other students in other school districts and eventually to other states.

We often have crazy things happen to us throughout our lives. Some play the victim role and ask themselves, ìHow could something like this happen to me?î Once I was able to gain some distance and clarity about this experience by talking to friends and family, I found myself asking the question: Why did I create this situation in my life and what can I learn from this experience? Thank you Mikal Belicove for being a great non-judgmental listener, friend, and supporter.

How does that the song go about ìThe times are they are a changingî or something like that?

When I was growing up many of the things that we did would now be considered criminal. Now one thoughtless moment can wreck you life. Back then when we drank too much the cops would drive us home and tell us to sleep it off. Or when we were shooting off fireworks, they came and told to go somewhere else where the neighbor wonít complain. Or when we got caught with pot, the cop just emptied the bag on the ground and told us to get lost. It was all considered a part of growing up, now it would literally be considered a federal offence. Have we gone too far?

I hope in your case that the charges will be dropped or that they give someway to clear your record. Sometimes we just really do forget and it could happen to anyone of us.