Life is precious...
Life really is a precious thing. I know this, but I honestly don't think about it all that much. Today I was given a shocking reminder.
I had been out shopping with Sophia and was on the way home. A black Suburban pulls out in front of me. I knew instantly that there was no way that I could avoid hitting this car and instantly hit the breaks. Then time slowed way down, it was sort of like an out of body experience. Before I knew what was happening my airbag had deployed and Sophia was screaming from the back. It took a few seconds to get out of the car to get to Sophia. I pulled her out of her car seat and held her close. I was just so scared that she was hurt.
I look over and realize that the car that I had hit contained a grandmother and two grandchildren. Thankfully, they were not hurt. The police officer who had arrived first called an ambulance and when they arrived they checked out Sophia and she was fine, but since I had a pain in my chest, I had to go to the hospital in the ambulance. I had to be on the board with a neck brace, until the doctor could check me out. It is strange to be wheeled around only being able to see what is directly above your head. Thankfully, I am fine with just some bruising from my seat belt and air bag. I was lucky.
My car looks terrible. The whole front is smashed in and the lights were hanging like an eyeballs out of their sockets. The radiator had a whole, because the engine coolant spilled all over the ground. When I look at the car, again I feel lucky. It could have been much worse.
The accident was the other driver's fault. She received a citation, but from what the officer said, her main concern was that Sophia and I were okay. I felt really bad for her, because I am sure she felt the same way that I did, just glad to be safe.
Maybe time slowed down during the accident so that I could ponder the beauty of being alive. Maybe it was so that I could have one last thought of Sophia, just in case something really bad was going to happen. I will never know, but hopefully it will make me think more often about the wonderful gifts that I am given each day.
Ponder life a bit today. Think about how you are lucky. Be sure that you buckle up. The life you save might just be your own.
Good night and pleasant dreams!
I had been out shopping with Sophia and was on the way home. A black Suburban pulls out in front of me. I knew instantly that there was no way that I could avoid hitting this car and instantly hit the breaks. Then time slowed way down, it was sort of like an out of body experience. Before I knew what was happening my airbag had deployed and Sophia was screaming from the back. It took a few seconds to get out of the car to get to Sophia. I pulled her out of her car seat and held her close. I was just so scared that she was hurt.
I look over and realize that the car that I had hit contained a grandmother and two grandchildren. Thankfully, they were not hurt. The police officer who had arrived first called an ambulance and when they arrived they checked out Sophia and she was fine, but since I had a pain in my chest, I had to go to the hospital in the ambulance. I had to be on the board with a neck brace, until the doctor could check me out. It is strange to be wheeled around only being able to see what is directly above your head. Thankfully, I am fine with just some bruising from my seat belt and air bag. I was lucky.
My car looks terrible. The whole front is smashed in and the lights were hanging like an eyeballs out of their sockets. The radiator had a whole, because the engine coolant spilled all over the ground. When I look at the car, again I feel lucky. It could have been much worse.
The accident was the other driver's fault. She received a citation, but from what the officer said, her main concern was that Sophia and I were okay. I felt really bad for her, because I am sure she felt the same way that I did, just glad to be safe.
Maybe time slowed down during the accident so that I could ponder the beauty of being alive. Maybe it was so that I could have one last thought of Sophia, just in case something really bad was going to happen. I will never know, but hopefully it will make me think more often about the wonderful gifts that I am given each day.
Ponder life a bit today. Think about how you are lucky. Be sure that you buckle up. The life you save might just be your own.
Good night and pleasant dreams!
posted by Linda | 10:01 PM
4 Comments:
Damn... I'm glad every ones ok.
d
I am glad you are Sophia are okay. Back in December of 2003, we received an unexpected snow on a weekday morning. My work was the only part of the county government that did not postpone work at all. My wife told me to call and say I couldn't make it, but I hate to miss work so I went out on the roads to try to get there. I saw right away that the county had not scraped at all because it was the first snow of the year and it was only like the middle of December. No one else was out on the road, probably because they knew better. I was going about 30 on a road where I normally go 50. I slowed down more on a bend but I started sliding into the other lane. That's when I had that feeling of things slowing and realizing I had no longer had any control. The car began to spin in a complete circle. Physically, I began to brace myself because I knew the car was going to spin and smack the guard rail. Mentally, all I could think of was my wife and I were going to have a child in three months and I scared I would not get to see my child being born. The good thing was the snow was deep on the sides of the road because the county had yet to scrape the roads so it slowed my car down greatly before I hit the rail. It didn't hit that hard and the car had stopped and several panel lights were on. I was relieved at first, but knew I had to move because I was stuck facing the wrong way. My car wouldn't start the first two times then finally it started and I got into the right lane, went home and called work to tell them I wasn't going to be in. It shook me up, but it taught me something about priorities and this year I actually called in to work (once) because of snow and the road conditions.
Linda, I'm so happy that you and Sophia, as well as the other family are all ok. Life is truly precious but sometimes we just need a little jolt to remember.
Linda and Sophia (and Bob),
I am so glad you are all okay. This was harrowing and heart-wrenching to read, and it could have been so much worse. I don't know why these things happen as they do; you have to marvel at the fact that a few moments later, and the accident might have been so much worse. A few moments earlier, and it might have been averted entirely.
Be well and keep us posted.
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