My love of Jamaican beef patties took me to a particular store and while winding through the streets of my youth, I remembered a conversation I had with a very good friend a few days before. She basically told me "lighten up" after reading my last column.

Now those were her exact words and while she says she loved the articles so far, she said from knowing me all these years, I didn’t seem like a person who was that edgy.

She was right in two respects.

A: I am not as tightly wound as my words may often appear.

B: I did need to lighten up just a little.

I drove by some of the spots I found a lot of joy in during my childhood. There are some bike paths that run along the Cross Island Parkway that seemed like trails into some mystical magical land. I rode my bike safely through most neighborhoods back then, with little fear of assault.

"Watch out for our kids on the streets and in the parks..." Photo by Ira Cohen

I drove past the baseball field near Francis Lewis Boulevard where I hit my first and probably my only home run as a young teen. I love to play ball and like many kids avoided trouble growing up because I was engaged in activity.

I drove down Nashville Boulevard where every year we would paint a 100-yard field and play touch football. It was where I was usually late in the day when my mother or father would yell my name informing me it was time to come home.

There were the block parties, the backyard barbecues, and picnics in the parks. I didn’t spend much time at exotic places growing up, but I still had a lot of fun in my world.

Southern Queens was its own planet of fun for me and my friends. Things haven’t changed much here. Most of those places still exist. I imagine the desire of kids to play is the same, even in the generation of Play Station entertainment.

But even in my "light" mode of looking back, I am again forced to look forward.

I wonder about the children who will soon be filling the same streets, parks and playgrounds. I wonder how safe those places will be for them. Lately it seems many of the adults seem less aware of the presence of young people.

On one street, where I parked to reminisce, my thoughts were broken by the whiz of a speeding car on the street . . . a street that while pretty empty then will be full of kids in the next few days and weeks as schools close for the summer.

In some of the parks, people leave trash all over the place making it hard for everyone to use the space and attracting rats.

At some of the courts and centers only a certain amount of kids will be allowed to participate because there aren’t enough adults supervisors.

So while it seems – weather wise – it looks like a fabulous summer awaits, clearly there is a lot of potential for huge disappointments and maybe even some tragedy. I know that’s not something we like to think about. I know after the flowery look back at my summertimes in the city, it doesn’t seem like I’m "lightening up."

But I am.

I just want everyone to enjoy the summer without complications the way I did so many Julys ago. Maximizing this special time for most or all of us, is a feat today that is not a passive act.

Watch out for our kids on the streets and in the park.

Don’t be a pig when you’re out.

Chip in a little time or money for youth programs.

We should stop to smell the roses, as the saying goes. I mean, what is all the hustling and bustling for anyway if either we or our kids can’t enjoy ourselves. But when we appreciate a rose we know that we have to be careful because it does have thorns.

Our lives are like that in a way, don’t you think?

So have a great summer, but be responsible and charitable. Okay, that’s about as "light" or "diet" as this gets, barring any extraordinarily warm and fuzzy events.

So put your hard hats on and your mouthpieces back in for next week.

— Gary Anthony Ramsay is a weekend anchor and journalist on the all-news cable station NY1 and a long-time resident of Queens.