Public Service Announcement: DFW folks - please be careful out there. I say DFW specifically as this is our home and the floodgates are open for a few more days.
Last night, we were coming home from Austin and saw standing water. We saw little Miatas think they could make it through with big ole' trucks right on their tail. We saw the Trinity rushing like a bullet train. We saw standing water from overflowing storm drains that couldn't handle the rain coming down. What really drives the need for me to write this is what happened to Alex & I driving home from Jesuit.
We were on 190 driving home and a little car decided it could speed past us. After all, there was no standing water right so why not? Ignore the sheets of rain, the overly saturated and slick roads. Ignore that the rest of us (and there weren't many) were only going 40, hazards on and praying with hands at 10 and 2. We are only supposed to worry about standing water, right? (If you don't catch that sarcasm, please channel my voice and try again.) That little red car then spun out right in front of us, almost flipping and hitting the barrier before spinning around again. We got lucky as I was able to tap our brakes and watch it unfold so I could move safely out of it's way. NOTHING IS WORTH LOSING YOUR LIFE TO GET SOMEWHERE QUICKER. The roads are slick, there is standing water and the rain can be as hard to see through as a brick wall. The driver was able to get out of the car, and all things considered, there didn't seem to be much damage (although I highly doubt it was drive-able ever again as it did take a small time airborne before hitting the wall). Mom & Daddy called for help.
As I told Alex, if you have to drive, drive slow, use your hazards and be smart. Place your hands at 10 and 2. Use every tool as your disposal. Don't be afraid to call for help if you need it. Your life is worth more than getting anywhere (especially at 3am).
Back to why I had to write this entry - this is a good lesson for life. Take it slow, use your hazards when you need to or take a pause, use tools to make life safe (tool depends on the situation of course), ask for help, take a minute to render help if someone else needs it, and remember, nothing is worth losing your life. Nothing.
The kid has had a very interesting few months and it is no secret that I think we are very very blessed. Last night was just another example of that fact. We have learned to ask for help, to help others, to take a break and use our hazards, use whatever tools we had to in order to get back to normal - is it all a part of the grand plan and last night is one more scene? I have to believe it is and I do believe it is with all my heart.
I am good with sliding into my grave with a martini (or glass of red) in one hand and sparkler in the other, but I am certainly not going to expedite the situation. So we will learn from all our lessons, we will take is slow - smell the roses, keep using our tools and keep asking and giving help. After all, we only have 7 lives and I think we have used more than one this past 6 weeks.
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