BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE

We recently heard the tragic news of a senior lady killed by an alligator in South Carolina. There have been a couple of golf courses I would have enjoyed playing in southern South Carolina, but alligator warning signs were posted everywhere.

I can’t figure out the fun of playing golf in an area where I have to worry about alligators. This goes for walking the dog or doing anything. Alligators are dangerous and will kill you. Being attacked by an alligator in areas where they live should not be surprising. If you get close to one, you risk losing a leg or your life. Be warned. Alligators are dangerous and if you are in an area where they fill up the lakes and ponds, then be very, very cautious.

Once again, we are hearing that sharks live in the ocean. There has been a lot of buzz this summer about shark sightings. They’ve been seen off the New Jersey shore, and a large number of sharks were near the pier at Pensacola Beach, Florida, last week. I’ve been on that beach in 3 or 4 feet of water numerous times. I know what you are thinking, “Sharks can be in shallow water too.” I understand and I don’t get in the gulf water that much. However, it only takes one bite to hurt or kill you.

We have to keep in mind that sharks live in the ocean. They are not far from you, regardless of which beach you enjoy. Yet, we all are alarmed by the news whenever sharks are sighted in the ocean.

Tragically, people have died this summer from triple-digit heat. We keep hearing news about it being hot. It’s July. July never misses a chance to be hot, really hot. We had triple-digit heat every summer when I was a kid. We really noticed it too because we didn’t have air conditioning. We still have hot weather in the mid-west, but we have air conditioning. So, it’s not that big of a deal.

We are all sorry to hear about people who have lost their lives due to the heat.

All we had was a fan when I was a kid. In the summer I would typically go to bed very warm and sometimes even sweating. It wasn’t much fun, but we had no choice back then. We had some shade trees and a creek that we kids would get in to play. That’s all we had. We had plenty of triple-digit days too. 

Please don’t leave your kids or animals in the car. Elderly people need to be out before the hottest part of the day. This means early in the morning.

High school football coaches should not be practicing in triple-digit weather. Every summer a high school kid dies practicing in this hot weather.

Alligators, sharks and hot weather should not be surprising. Being careful about each of the three would be wise for us all.

Dr. Glenn Mollette is a graduate of numerous schools, including Georgetown College, Southern and Lexington Seminaries in Kentucky. He is the author of 13 books, including “Uncommon Sense,” “Spiritual Chocolate” series, “Grandpa’s Store,” “Minister’s Guidebook Insights from a Fellow Minister.” His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. Listen every weekday at 8:56 a.m. on XM radio 131, visit him online at glennmollette.com. “Grandpa’s Store” is a fun and adventure-filled story from the perspective of a child and young teen in the late 50s and early 70s, an era of simpler American small-community life. Available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.