Happy to Be Alive
This morning I decided to ride my road bike in to work. I've done this a handful of times now and even more times on my mountain bike. I've gotten pretty comfortable, and I usually leave before rush hour traffic, so it's not too crowded on the streets. This morning, though, I realize I came pretty close to a serious accident. I was riding down Kuakini Street and looked to my right to see a big truck slowing down (or so I thought) to a stop before turning right onto Kuakini. I glanced back toward the road to see where I was going and all of a sudden, I heard a loud screech beside me. Apparently the truck driver had not seen me and was not planning on coming to a stop before proceeding to turn onto my street. It all happened so fast that all I could do was keep pedaling along. I stopped at the next traffic light, and the driver pulled up and yelled out an apology.
What could I do? I was alive, not even touched by the truck. No harm done. I didn't even feel mad at him. Lord knows I've been in my car and not seen bikers crossing in front of me. It didn't sink in until later how close I came to potentially having a major injury or no life at all. Needless to say, I thought about my life a lot today.
With thoughts on life still swirling in my head, I was driving down the Likelike and saw a streak of white with two flashing eyes just as it sprinted in front of my car. With a loud thud, my heart sank. I think I just ran over a cat. I tried to look behind me but couldn't see anything. I have a bad feeling that cat didn't make it. I feel really badly, especially since I came so close to maybe losing my own life just this morning.
Accidents are waiting to happen everywhere. Sometimes we're just in the wrong place at the wrong time or the circumstances line up just so. Maybe we have near misses to remind us of the fragility of our lives. I probably ended a cat's life tonight, and for some reason mine was spared. I feel blessed and lucky and clearly reminded that God can choose to take me home whenever He feels like it. I will try to live better because of that. And if that cat has another life left in him, I hope he lives better too.
What could I do? I was alive, not even touched by the truck. No harm done. I didn't even feel mad at him. Lord knows I've been in my car and not seen bikers crossing in front of me. It didn't sink in until later how close I came to potentially having a major injury or no life at all. Needless to say, I thought about my life a lot today.
With thoughts on life still swirling in my head, I was driving down the Likelike and saw a streak of white with two flashing eyes just as it sprinted in front of my car. With a loud thud, my heart sank. I think I just ran over a cat. I tried to look behind me but couldn't see anything. I have a bad feeling that cat didn't make it. I feel really badly, especially since I came so close to maybe losing my own life just this morning.
Accidents are waiting to happen everywhere. Sometimes we're just in the wrong place at the wrong time or the circumstances line up just so. Maybe we have near misses to remind us of the fragility of our lives. I probably ended a cat's life tonight, and for some reason mine was spared. I feel blessed and lucky and clearly reminded that God can choose to take me home whenever He feels like it. I will try to live better because of that. And if that cat has another life left in him, I hope he lives better too.
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