A Shift

Weird day today.

I spoke to a mother in the hospital - 31 weeks, water leaking, trying to hang on til 34 weeks. We're distantly related - her grandmother and my grandfather were first cousins. Speaking to her brought up so many old memories, and I will go visit her tomorrow and hope to give some solace.

So I started out in a funk.

I met an old friend for lunch that I hadn't seen in a couple years. She and her husband are wonderful people, and after many years of trying, IVF took and she is pregnant. Best news ever! Had a wonderful time catching up, but left emotional - sad for everything that they had to go through to get to this point.

Still in a weird emotional place.

I returned to my desk at 3 pm after a mtg. I was talking to a co-worker while at the same time checking my voice mail. He apologized, not realizing I was on the phone and I brushed it off, but said "I have to check, I rarely get messages on both my cell and work phone, need to make sure it's not a kid emergency".

Chad was in a car accident that totalled his car. Somehow, he walked away without a scratch, although I am sure he will be stiff and sore in the coming days. The car slid off the road at a curve, hit a snow bank, then a tree. The air bag deployed - fortunately due to his height his seat is all the way back so I think that may have helped. I've heard nasty stuff about the impact of the air bag alone.

I felt much better after talking to him of course, but the rest of the afternoon has been tough to concentrate. I look outside and the world looks the same. But it's like there's been a shift in the universe. We dodged a bullet. He could be sitting in the car unable to call for help waiting for someone to happen upon him on a remote road. Or worse I could get a phone call from the police later tonight.

Instead I am sitting here wondering how we got so lucky and thinking of the people that will get bad news today. This could have been a life altering day.

Tomorrow is not promised. Live each day like the gift that it is.