Note: Read this at your own risk. Might make some mad.
As I walked around the neighborhood this morning, I noticed how very cloudy and humid it was. I believe the weather forecast for today is for storms with some lightning. I think that’s great. I love lightning now. I like to get out in it, out from under the deck and look up at the sky to see if I can see it and I point my camera phone up there and try to get a good photograph of a lightning bolt. I really don’t care if I get hit by it, because if I do, then it’s just “my time” right? I mean, it would be one searing moment of intense agony and pain, and it would be over. Besides, it would only affect me personally in a physical manner. I’d be the only one dead. I know, it would probably affect the people who love me and care about me, but they’d get over it. Besides, it’s my body and my life and I have the right to stand out in a lightning storm if I want to. Maybe I’ll get a fantastic up close photo one of these days and it will have been worth it. So, today…looking for that lightning!
That brings me to my other subject which I thought about yesterday, the dangerous car ride. This was something I did back sometime in 1986-88. I was working for Zee medical selling medical supplies and I had a big territory. I was way out somewhere around Jasper Georgia one day near the end of the day and I realized I had to be home in less than an hour for something important to do with one of the kids. I can’t remember what the activity was, just remember I needed to be home in 50 minutes and it was a little over an hour’s drive from where I was. I said to God: “Please protect me on this ride home, because I’m not slowing down for nothing!” I took off and I passed ever car that was in my way that wasn’t going as fast as I needed to go. It didn’t matter if it was on a curve, double yellow line, blind hill, whatever. I passed everything. I went at least 70 most of the way. I made it home on time for the activity and I didn’t get in a wreck and get killed. Did God protect me, or was it just my blind stupid luck that got me there.
As I lay in bed that night, I couldn’t go to sleep. I trembled in fear at what I had done. I not only had endangered myself….but I had put multiple people who I didn’t even know in danger of dying because of my carelessness. I could have been killed for sure…maybe run off the road in a one car crash. I could also have run into a car with an entire family going 70 miles per hour and killed them all….and myself. I endangered numerous lives that day….just because I needed to be somewhere at a certain time. It was a selfish and crazy thing I did, which I have never, ever repeated since then. Being careless with my own life was bad enough. I had young kids who needed a father. But, maybe killing some complete stranger and their entire family?
Do you see the difference??
Anyway, I’ll be looking for that rain today.
Writing for Sanity's Sake 