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"Oh my God, he hit us!" I said. "Honey, are you alright"? It happened so fast, before we knew it we were sitting facing the opposite direction from where we were going. The impact at the right rear of our car had spun us around so swiftly, we sat there completely in a daze.
It was a beautiful morning. We got up around 7:00 am, our usual time and after having a quick cup of coffee we took off for our bike ride to the park. It was rather cool, about 45 degrees, so we knew we had to bundle up. As we pedaled along we both commented on the colors of nature and the beauty in the changes of the season. Even Florida's seasons show their faces. The squirrels were about, foraging for nuts, scampering around, chattering trying to keep their mind on the task at hand. As we rode along, we could hear the horses at Mockingbird, a large brood mare farm that ran along the edge of our trail. The morning was ripe for the endless possibilities for the rest of the day. "How about driving over to St. Augustine," my husband mentioned two days earlier. We both agreed it would be fun to walk the beach, enjoy some holiday shopping and relax at Casa de la Paz, a beautiful bed and breakfast we had stayed at several times before.
After putting our miles in at the park, we headed back home to prepare for our trip. It was about 10:00 am as we packed a few things, not sure yet how long we would be staying. We put our bags in the car as our 2 'kids', Rambo and Princess, our Siamese cats, had quickly bounded in along with the luggage. Of course, they did not know that they were on the way to the kennel, where they had stayed before. We knew they would have much rather gone with us, but we decided not to take them this time, a kind of little get-away from it all. The kennel was just a few miles up the road and after we dropped them off, we finally got on our way.
Now, as we are sitting in our car trying to settle ourselves, I thank God that just a few minutes earlier we had luckily left our cats at the kennel. We tried to gather our composure at what seemed to be like a movie running in slow-motion, once again assuring each other that we were both okay. As we looked across the street we saw the truck that hit us parked on the other side. When the traffic allowed, we saw a chance to cross over, also, very grateful that our car was still mobile.
He was a 50 year old man who was with his wife and their dog and as he got out of his vehicle, we all asked if everyone was okay. That said and done, we called 911 and waited for the police to arrive. There was practically no damage to his vehicle, but our two-year old Mercedes had damage to the back, right fender and back bumper. The other driver looked rather piqued, as we heard bits of conversation he was having with his wife, who was not too happy with what he had just caused to happen. He became rather red-faced, looking like he was going to lose his temper, as he shuffled through his wallet looking for, I assumed, the normal information both drivers would have to produce to the police. My husband and I kept our distance; none of us were in a very good mood.
Right from the get-go the situation was easy to see. He had crossed over two lanes of traffic, (we were in the third lane) to cut across for access to the other side of the street. This is a common offense known as "violation of right-of-way". How he managed to get through two lanes of heavy traffic was a miracle. By the time he got to our lane, there were no more 'openings' for him to cross, and, well, the rest is history.
After about one-half hour a policeman finally arrived. He took pertinent information from both drivers and proceeded to his vehicle to start the processing. After about 45 minutes he appeared, gave us our paperwork and said we were free to go. He told the other driver to stay put; we knew, at the least, he would receive a citation.
Well, at this point the day had been used up and so had we. Slowly driving away, we decided not to go to St. Augustine. Somehow, being frivolous was not so appealing anymore; we just wanted to go home. We turned around, stopped at the kennel and headed home.
For some reason, everything at home looked so good. Our Christmas decorations outside took on another look, the pansies out front were perky and dancing in the breeze, so beautiful in their purple and yellows, and my large poinsettia bush by the porch was deeper red than I had noticed before, with beautiful gold mixed in. Inside, our Christmas tree's aroma of rich evergreen filled the house with warmth. In retrospect, we were different to. Maybe more appreciative, maybe more thankful, maybe even more humble, it's hard to say as I am still tossing thoughts of the events around in my mind. Whatever significance transpired that day brought us to a different place.
Fortunately, what happened was something that could be mended, made new again. And even though times like this are never good, something good did come out of it. An appreciation for life, how precious and how one realizes in an instant, what can be taken away forever.
Live in the moment, for that is really all that we have, life guarantees nothing more. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is but a wish, but today is here, now. Enjoy it to the fullest and remember to tell your loved ones how much you care everyday, you'll be surprised at how good it will make you feel.
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