I travel a lot. I see a lot of accidents. I see tow trucks, ambulances, state troopers directing traffic and sometimes I see injured people. It is a common sight along highways and interstates. Today, I was stopped in traffic due to an accident. It had just happened a few minutes before I came upon the scene. Once I stopped, the sirens and lights started flying by me, creating a symphony of fear, heartbreak and sheer panic. Three ambulances, three fire trucks, countless state police. They saturated the highway...shutting both lanes down. Like a desert highway. I couldn't go anywhere. Sit and pray everyone was ok. As I sat, I notice a lady running up beside my car waving her hands and screaming to another guy. "that's my daughter in there". I saw this woman sprint to the scene, I saw her fall to her knees.....people carried her away. That voice haunted me..."that's my daughter in there".. WOW, all I could think about is my daughters. Why do we do that? When we are faced with a traumatic situation, we put our own family in the picture? I thought about having to get that call, to have to run to the car and see my daughter, hurt, or worse. I didn't know, I couldn't tell if she was ok. I do know the accident was bad. I wanted to know if she was ok. The police told us all to stay in our vehicles. I wanted to hug that lady.
Then I started to play "what if". I had been running a little late because I had lunch with my daughter earlier. And it was so spur of the moment. What if I hadn't done that? Would that have been me?? Or would I have been able to help? Oh I have to stop playing this game in my head. I look over again and they cant get the girl out of the car. I feel so helpless. I think I just watched that lady see her daughter die. I have to get out of here.
I manage to wiggle my way out of the line and turn around to go the other way. I went about my day, but I had that feeling of.....life is so perishable. Like ripe fruit, one day its good to eat and the next it is fermented and rotten. Just like that. We are all so perishable. We are all so busy. Do you know how perishable you are??? We all have an expiration date. Only we aren't like a carton of eggs and have that date printed on our outside so people know when to enjoy us by. So stop. Stop making excuses to live. Call someone you love and tell them that. Have some beef with an old friend? Put it to rest. Always wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge?? Well stop buying online purses and buy a plane ticket instead. That dog you have?? He wants to go on a walk. He does not care if it is snowy outside. Ask your kids how their day was, and then actually listen to them when they tell you. Kiss a baby. Drink a beer. Live before you expire. Don't be the rotten mayonnaise in the fridge.
I cant stop thinking about the mom who I think lost her daughter.....I hope she is comforted by her loved ones. I hope she and her daughter had a great relationship. I hope we all learn to live before we expire.
