Sunday, October 10, 2010

a reminder.

I had planned on blogging tonight about what we did this weekend. I planned on telling all of you about the fun date I went on with Kyle, how much I got done around the apartment and how much fun I had going for runs with Kyle and Tucker. But on tonight's run something scary happened. 

We saw a man get hit by a car. 

I cannot get the image out of my head. Cannot stop hearing the screams from the two friends that were crossing the street with him. Cannot stop imagining how the cab driver who hit him must be feeling right now... how worried both families must be... how either one of those people could have been me, my husband, someone I love. 

The only reason I am sharing this with all of you is because I also cannot stop thinking about what a wake up call this was for me and that maybe some of you need it as well. 

I am sure I am not the only person who has glanced at a text message when my car wasn't at a complete stop, who tried to find something in my purse while only leaving one hand on the wheel or who was thankful that my brakes are so reliable when I am suddenly uncomfortably close to the car in front of me. I do my very best not to do those things while behind the wheel of my car, but I know I am not the only one who slips up. 

 Any one of us could have been just like that cab driver. I don't know how he didn't see the man in the crosswalk or what he was doing that had him so distracted, but that doesn't matter so much now. I am sure that right now he is thinking to himself that the text message he was sending or radio station he was tuning to just isn't that important anymore. 

And that man crossing the street, he could have been anyone too. I don't even know how many crosswalks Kyle and I innocently stroll across between our home and the park where we run. But I know we don't always 'look both ways' quite as diligently as we did when we were younger. 

The moral of my long-winded story is this, take your time. When you're driving your car, the phone calls can wait. And as my parents always told me when I was learning to drive, driving fast to get somewhere isn't even going to be worth it if you aren't going to get there safely. 

If you're wondering, the man who was hit seemed to be alert when the ambulance picked him up. He was talking and moving his arms but I never saw his legs move. Tonight my heart is heavy for everyone involved. I hope you'll join me and keep them in your thoughts and prayers tonight. I also hope you'll hug the ones you love a little tighter.

Hope tonight finds you all safe and happy in your homes with the ones you love most. 

1 comment:

  1. Poor sweet Steph. What a horrific thing to have to be witness to, I cannot imagine what the people involved are going through.

    You're a darling for sharing this: I think it's very important that we all remember that when we're driving, we should not be attempting to multitask. Cars are dangerous if not controlled to the upmost.

    I'm so sorry about all of this.

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