When I arrived at the hotel in St. Louis I noticed things were not what I was expecting.  In a 500 room hotel, there were only 4 cars in the parking lot.  The desk clerk told me that had received many cancellations, and she was surprised I was keeping my reservation and checking in.  During the three days at the hotel I did not see another guest the whole time and I did not ever see more than 5 cars in the parking lot.  For me it was my most unusual experience.

The desk clerk identified the reason for the high number of cancellations as fear in the minds of those cancelling that the hotel was too close to Ferguson and that they might not be safe staying there.  This hotel was by the Lambert Airport and was more than 10 miles from Ferguson.  I considered that a safe distance, but apparently many people did not consider that a safe distance.

By now you are probably wondering if I was being brave or careless by checking in and keeping my reservation.  The reality of the protest situation is that during the three days I was in St. Louis there were protests in various areas of the city, so there was no way to predict where you could locate yourself and be assured that you would not encounter protesters.  I chose to try to do as many of the activities that were a part of my plans, while being watchful for signs of anything that appeared dangerous or in some way out of order.

Fear is a strong emotion.  When we cave into it completely we deprive ourselves of joys we can experience while still being responsible and safe.  Reflecting on the trip now that I am home I am glad fear did not control my life while I was visiting.  It is a reminder to me that we have to use knowledge and safe practices to respond to fear instead of sequestering ourselves in the attempt to be safe at any cost.