Every city has one or two highways and byways that always seem to form a commuters worst nightmare at each rush hour. Helicopters fly over random cities across the country and give local media outlets hour-by-hour instructions of the current traffic situation. If you are unfortunate enough to be stuck in this inconvenience, you have several options. You can get frustrated, which most drivers eventually do. You can turn to the local sports radio station to catch up on current sporting drama. Or, you can take a look around you and observe your fellow commuting ‘humans”.
During one of these rush hour moments I began to survey the vehicles around me. I began to notice that 90% were on their mobile devices whether it was a smart phone, tablet, or my personal favorite….a woman using her laptop key pad while talking on her Iphone. I promise you this was not a Farmer’s Insurance commercial. The thought came to mind, “These people are Auto-Pilot!”.
Seriously!
If we were to survey all of the drivers that I observed on my commute, 70% of them could not recall very detailed aspects of their drive. Simple feedback such as red lights, how many ‘close calls’ they experienced while driving, and emergency vehicles seemingly escape even the experienced driver’s brain.
A few months ago I was catching up on the statewide news on http://www.al.com when I began to notice just how much information was published in regards to logistics and transportation. This raised a question that is not answered easily:
“Are we really living our lives………. or is life passing us by!”
I am far from alone is asking this question. In fact, Jim Stone Ph.D wrote an excellent article in March of 2016
I had my own personal ‘wake-up call’ this past August. On a normal, average Saturday I had just left a promotional function at a business in Birmingham, AL. As I left I was excited to finally have an interested buyer for golf clubs I had listed for a week. I was making the drive to meet the buyer when……EVERYTHING STOPPED! After a technical failure in the vehicle I was driving, I lost the ability to stop. In a moment of fear for myself and other drivers, I instantly turned the automobile off the road. After the 6 feet tall drop-off, I met a very large tree trunk. I am unsure of the speed at which I was traveling but I do know one thing….
TREES DON’T MOVE!
During my 5-week stay at The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital I was lucky to have some of the best medical professionals perform over 11 procedures. After the dust settled I had a broken Femur, Tibula, Fibula, 6 fractured ribs, and a cracked vertebrae. This injuries forced me to do something I haven’t done in years.
I was forced me to Slow down and take a strong look at where I was in life and where I am going!
In the heat of the moment we realize who is going to be there for us. In the moments after the first responders arrived I was giving phone numbers to witnesses in order to notify family. Not having any way to know where I was being transported, my cousin Kari and her husband Robert were able to track my down to UAB. I will never forget lying on the table in the trauma room waiting for the doctors to come back. I looked up and my Aunt Janice and Uncle Gary came into my room. As a side note, Gary and Janice received the emergency call and Gary didn’t even put his shoes on! Gary ended up buying a pair of shoes at some store in Birmingham. (Talk about a great promo for Alabama Media Group). We spoke for a few moments and I knew life would be changing rapidly. I was taken back to surgery and I remember thinking, “Everything is going to be OK!” The following photo was my reality for 5+ weeks.
As the holiday season approaches, we will have countless commitments including family dinners, work functions, and the occasional school Christmas concert. We will all forget to silence our phones and battle what emails to prioritize after Christmas break ends. Before we realize it, those crucial family moments will have passed and we will be back in front of our steering wheels driving those highways and byways at yet another rush hour. Maybe, just maybe, we can find a few special moments to set aside for those that matter the most. Trust me…….
Life is passing you by…..and Trees Don’t Move.
coachkd.org 