Life is Good
"Life turns on a dime. Sometimes towards us, but more often it spins away, flirting and flashing as it goes: so long, honey, it was good while it lasted, wasn't it?"
Stephen King wrote those words in his novel, 11/22/63, and I remember stopping at them when I read that book. I often sit and think about words as I read them; I reflect on them, turn them around in my brain, and see if I can apply them to my entire life. I did that with those words. For some reason, it probably took me a full five minutes to get past those sentences...they just stuck with me.
And those words are what popped into my head this morning as I drove up Dixie Drive toward work. I'd just reached the point where Dixie turns into Patterson Boulevard. I was driving in the left lane, and to my left, a car drove almost parallel to me. He drove toward a stop sign that he was supposed to stop at before merging into my lane. Yes, HE WAS SUPPOSED TO STOP. And you know where this is going. THE CAR DID NOT STOP.
I anticipate this scenario every morning when I drive to work. I've always tried to be a defensive driver and I often think about what the other driver is thinking because by golly, people don't pay attention. Either they're on their phone or applying lipstick or running a hand through their hair and looking in the mirror. So each morning, I'm on the lookout for drivers like this one. At this point in the road, I'm very wary, and my hand hovers on the horn. So this morning, like most others, I could see the car wasn't going to stop. But unlike other mornings, I was late on the horn and there was no room on my right to move.
The powers-that-be must have been looking out for me. The small beep I managed startled the driver, who moved left; I moved right as much as I could. The driver on my right side beeped at me (of course, so would I) but moved farther right, and as we danced the dance, all three of us miraculously moved forward without a scratch. It could have been bad: I was traveling at 40 mph, the non-stopper was driving at least 30 mph and I'm thinking the third, whom I almost ran into, was also going 40 mph. Yes, it could have been really bad.
Oddly enough, my blood pressure and heart rate didn't rise much. Instead, in the heat of the moment, I saw those words of Stephen King flash in my head. What is wrong with me? You'd think a little sympathetic nervous system would kick in, and here I was, thinking about Stephen King? Yes, yes I did. I guess these days I eat, sleep, think, and breathe writing.
My life could have turned on a dime. Instead, I'm sitting here thinking just how good life is.
Stephen King wrote those words in his novel, 11/22/63, and I remember stopping at them when I read that book. I often sit and think about words as I read them; I reflect on them, turn them around in my brain, and see if I can apply them to my entire life. I did that with those words. For some reason, it probably took me a full five minutes to get past those sentences...they just stuck with me.
And those words are what popped into my head this morning as I drove up Dixie Drive toward work. I'd just reached the point where Dixie turns into Patterson Boulevard. I was driving in the left lane, and to my left, a car drove almost parallel to me. He drove toward a stop sign that he was supposed to stop at before merging into my lane. Yes, HE WAS SUPPOSED TO STOP. And you know where this is going. THE CAR DID NOT STOP.
I anticipate this scenario every morning when I drive to work. I've always tried to be a defensive driver and I often think about what the other driver is thinking because by golly, people don't pay attention. Either they're on their phone or applying lipstick or running a hand through their hair and looking in the mirror. So each morning, I'm on the lookout for drivers like this one. At this point in the road, I'm very wary, and my hand hovers on the horn. So this morning, like most others, I could see the car wasn't going to stop. But unlike other mornings, I was late on the horn and there was no room on my right to move.
The powers-that-be must have been looking out for me. The small beep I managed startled the driver, who moved left; I moved right as much as I could. The driver on my right side beeped at me (of course, so would I) but moved farther right, and as we danced the dance, all three of us miraculously moved forward without a scratch. It could have been bad: I was traveling at 40 mph, the non-stopper was driving at least 30 mph and I'm thinking the third, whom I almost ran into, was also going 40 mph. Yes, it could have been really bad.
Oddly enough, my blood pressure and heart rate didn't rise much. Instead, in the heat of the moment, I saw those words of Stephen King flash in my head. What is wrong with me? You'd think a little sympathetic nervous system would kick in, and here I was, thinking about Stephen King? Yes, yes I did. I guess these days I eat, sleep, think, and breathe writing.
My life could have turned on a dime. Instead, I'm sitting here thinking just how good life is.
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