You're Lucky to be Here. So, be Here.

I'm lucky to be alive, and well today; not in a hospital bed somewhere or worse.  The driver of a pickup truck was not paying attention, and nearly changed that for a friend and I.

Yesterday was one of those rare glorious sunny days in the northwest that we all live for.  The sun shining, bright blue sky, and sunny weather.   On those days, Mt. Rainier, Baker, and the Olympics all beam down on us from heavenly reaches.   They remind us of the splendid beauty that surrounds us, but is usually masked in haze.  

I was walking back from lunch with my friend.  We were deep in conversation, drinking in the day.  The area near my office is suburban.  Most of the roads are multi-lane arterials.  Drivers drop in parking lots quickly, and inject themselves back into the flow.   

John was leading me slightly on the sidewalk, passing in front of a big F150 pickup truck.  I remember it was a commercial vehicle.  Painted in bright colors, with marketing terms all over it; some sort of water or beverage service I think.   Just as I was in front of the bumper, and John was directly in front of the truck, he started to move.

I looked up and realized he wasn’t even looking at us, his head turned up the road looking for traffic.   The bumper nudged me, and I yelled “HEY!!!!  WHOA!!!”, as I jumped back.  The truck was chasing me as the wheels were turned into me.  John jumped, but he was directly in front of the truck.  He had no where to go but into the street.  

John yelled “HEY!!! HEY!!!”, and jumped again, as the truck accelerated and pushed him further.  I was still leaping backward on the sidewalk, but my eyes were on him.  I knew he had no chance of escaping that truck's huge bumper and off-road tires.   He leaped again, now fully standing in the middle of traffic.

At the last possible moment, the driver turned his head, oblivious to where he was going.  He saw John leaping one more hop backward, now nearly into the second lane of traffic.  He slammed on the brakes, and avoided pushing him any further.

My heart was racing, and visions of ambulances, broken bones, and fateful impacts still were flitting through my mind.  I should have been screaming “WHAT THE H#!! WERE THINKING!”, but I was speechless.  I knew what he was thinking:  nothing related to driving.  

In life we have to remind ourselves to stay focused.  Even in the most mundane things, the consequences of our actions can be dire.  

The same thing applies in our work, in our home, parenting, and life.   We have so many distractions in our lives, but nothing is ever as important as what you are doing right now.  Pay attention to the here and now.  Make time to do the distractions when you can focus on them alone.

The people around you will notice the difference.  You never know, you just might save a life.