UGH! Are you kidding me?!
Now I’m gonna be late! I don’t have time for this!
I don’t even know how I get there from here if I can’t take this main Highway!
Why is this road closed? I mean both sides of a major highway – that’s 6 lanes closed. Why? I wonder if someone was texting and driving? Maybe there was an accident? Or maybe it’s because of construction?
All I know is this is an inconvenience to me! So frustrating! I even left early, because of needing to run errands besides my appointment!
I don’t know if any of you can relate to me and how I was feeling earlier today. I was so upset and stressed aggravated at a road closure.
Then when I turned and took a detour without checking my GPS, this detour took me too far away. Annoying!
Before I could make it back the direction I needed to, I ended up in another slow down. This one was definitely construction. I saw the police blocking the road letting construction vehicles go across. I sat there for another five minutes!
I can’t believe how frustrating this day has been out driving!
Then I noticed the helicopters. Life flight helicopters.
Suddenly it dawns on me.
I’m alive to have my little inconvenience.
Life, like a flame can be fleeting.
Once I finally got around to the car wash, I went ahead and looked it up online.
Oh my lands!
It’s still too early to know how it happened. But the news report said that two people died. It was a fiery crash with several vehicles involved and a semi truck rolled over. The road closure was due to this accident.
Thoughts flood into my mind as I pray for the victims and their families, their friends, the rescue personnel that have to deal with this, anyone who saw it.
I don’t know whether the two that died were of the same family but definitely there were a lot of families affected.
Someone isn’t ever going home again; someone is going to get news this afternoon or this evening that they’ve lost a love one; someone is going to wish they had never taken that route.
All of a sudden stuck in traffic seems so small. My impatience seems so insignificant.
I don’t know about you, but I get so spoiled with all of the technologies and conveniences that I have. I can put more into my days then I ever would’ve been able to years ago. I rush from this to that, from here to there, always in a hurry like everyone around me.
Then something like today happens and I get that bitter taste of reality.
I get reminded that we aren’t promised tomorrow.
When I get home I’m going to hug my family. I’m going to look them in the eyes. I’m going to slow down for a few minutes and tell them that I love them.
I am going to remember that what may seem inconvenient could be a lot better than what someone else is experiencing.
It is vitally important that we live in the moment. Hope for the future and knowing where we are headed is needed so that we don’t just swim in a circle never accomplishing anything. Yet, we must not be so driven towards the future that we lose site of what is important now. Live like life is a gift – because it is.
Yesterday is history,
Tomorrow is a mystery,
Today is a gift – that’s why it’s called the Present!
(Bill Keane)
Have you ever had a time that the reality of how short life is was brought to your attention?
How do you live life fully?
Has tragedy impacted you in a way that taught you to value moments more?
In the moment, Amy
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Photo credits:
Road Closed – Detour
Jorjia May
Others from: Unsplash.com
Man with watch
Shamim Nakhael
Man praying
Ben White
Match flame
Yaoqi LAI
Dad & daughter crossing water
Morgan David de Lossy
Present
Ekaterina Shevchenko
