Yesterday started out such a beautiful day. I had gone on my bike ride which I later discovered through "run route", (www.mapmyrun.com) was 7.6 miles (Thanks for the website, Chuck). Not too shabby for someone who isn't really the most proficient with changing gears. Unfortunately, I was paying for it physically as the day went on. My knees felt weak and my back was sore. I hadn't really used my weekend as recovery time like I usually do. I hoped I hadn't made a huge mistake by going as far as I did on the bike. Anyway, I resigned myself to the fact that Sunday would have to be a day of rest, whether I liked it or not.
After I downed a couple of Tylenol, I went outside to check on the boys. They had done all they were going to do with the camper, and were out washing the truck. After that, we washed my car. Normally, on a day when we do this, we kind of expect rain. Murphy's law... you know? But it didn't rain yesterday. It was sunny and warm, a perfect day for outside family activities.
We had plans to attend a party at a friend's house in the afternoon. I told my husband I would drive home. He knew I wasn't as comfortable driving his big man truck so, to our son's dismay, we all squeezed in to the little car. We had a wonderful time at the party, but eventually the time came for us to leave. He knew my back was sore from earlier in the day, so my husband said he would drive. Our youngest climbed into the back seat and we were on our way. My husband knew the way home. I would have had to use the GPS. It calms me even in the heaviest traffic conditions.
We were driving along, when all of a sudden, a motorcyclist sped by weaving in and out of traffic. At the same time, we both made the comment that he was an absolute idiot to ride like that. Then, it happened. We were in the middle lane. In the blink of an eye, a car came up on our left side, crossed over in front of us nearly ramming us while attempting to pass. I think he was racing another car. He may have even been drunk. Who knows?
It was incredible how quickly my husband reacted (and fortunate no one was in the right lane). We swerved right, then left, then right, then back to center. Yet, with all this, he still had complete control and I knew it. His quick thinking kept us from rolling over. Had we not been locked securely in our seat belts, we would have surely been slammed up against the side windows of my little car. After everything calmed, we quickly did a check do make sure everyone was okay. The only casualty was the plate of food I had had on my lap. It went flying. No survivors there. But we were okay, just a bit shaken up. We pulled in to a gas station close to the house. When my husband was filling up the tank, I took the opportunity to talk to our son about what had happened. We talked about racing on the highway, about defensive driving, about how difficult it would have been to react as quickly as he did...had his dad been on a cell phone. Then he looks at me and says,"I'm just glad you weren't driving." I let that comment slide. He wasn't himself.
So, today...we all got up and went to church, thankful to have survived our traumatic little incident from the night before. As I stood there in church, I thought to myself...this healthy new life...it could all be gone in a heartbeat. Life is such a fragile thing. But you know what, everything happens for a reason. I wasn't driving that night because I was sore. I was sore because I rode that bike 7.6 miles. I rode that distance because I wanted to challenge myself. All we can really do is...our best...every day...one day at a time...
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