One of the first posts I did talked about the imbalance of the scales and hoping for more smiles than frowns, more giving than receiving and more doing than watching…I also talked about how this year will have many ups and some downs and today I got to see a down.
It did not involve me but I drove past an accident that involved a pedestrian. There were responders and bystanders but the emergency vehicles were not there yet. They did not need me there but I saw a person lying on the road and not moving. I was thinking that this person got up this morning, did his daily routine and in one instance, life has changed…in a mere seconds is all it takes. It brought back a rush of memories where I was a witness and first responder to a catastrophic pedestrian knock down on Dec 1, 2001. In the case that I was a witness, I saw the car hit the person and the person land on the road and that image is forever ingrained in my life. Five years later I had to go to court as a witness and give a detailed by detailed assessment of what happened. Seeing this today had me re-live this. Much like back in 2001, I felt for the pedestrian but I also felt for the driver. Both lives are changed as a result.
While tragic, I guess the reason for this post is a reminder that I carry with me something significant since I was nine years old and my father had a tragic industrial accident and became a paraplegic…DON’T TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED! Based on what happened to my family on Feb 10, 1972, I had a realization that there are no guarantees in life (it is not a morbid thought) and to appreciate people, situations and things. That is why I go around discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary. Today, seeing this pedestrian, is just a reminder to appreciate all…so with that, I thank you for who you are and you do matter. The next post is just that…an appreciation post.