Random Thoughts

Amy, I'm glad you aren't throwing in the towel and I'm glad Rebecca was able to give you the boost you needed. And please don't go back to smoking; I like you better fat than stinky. (Please laugh at that)

Today has been a crazy day. Brian, a guy Peter works with, was seriously injured last night on the way to a fire. They went around a corner and he fell from the engine. He is in Shock Trauma right now with multiple skull fractures, bleeding and swelling in his brain. The fracture in the back of his head where it impacted the pavement is so severe the bone fragments nicked the carotid artery. I pray he is ok. Peter was so shook up today; he was in the back of the truck with him when it happened. Then the uppers in the fire dept were real jerks and made the guys clean up Brian's blood at the scene before they could go to the hospital to see their buddy. Truly hateful in my opinion. Peter spent most of the day at the hospital, but did come home for a spell and I came home too. It has been a long time since I have heard such despair in his voice and I knew being alone was hard on him. I got him to take a short nap before he had to be back at work at 3 pm.

When something like this happens close to home, you can't help but to adjust the perspective on events in your own life. That could have been Peter, and my world would have collapsed in a way that it frightens me to explain. And when I think about it, I wouldn't be any more prepared for it if I were 10 or 20 lbs lighter, or if I exercised 4 times a week (both things I dream about,) so at the end of the day, tell the people in your life that matter to you that you care about them, because they love you as you are and they will be by your side when you need them. It comes down to what makes you happy, and you have to hold that close to you because it can be gone in an instant. I started to learn this lesson when my mother passed away from cancer, and today it just kept popping back up in my head when I thought about Peter's friend and all the other stresses in my life right now. Our daily actions should be directed towards increasing our happiness and satisfaction with our lives and who we are as people. Anything else is truly just wasted time. I acknowledge that most of us have to work at jobs that aren't 100% aligned with this thinking to be able to do the things we like, but there should be a line drawn where work stays at work and doesn't spill over into other areas of our lives. The things that stress me most have little to do with my happiness and more to do with how I am viewed by others. It just isn't worth it.

So call those you care about and just say hello, hug your kids, your cat, your dog, and do something that you've been wanting to do for a while. I plan to wait for a call from Peter, call my sister, and then plop on the couch with my beagle and a book I've wanted to read forever but haven't had the time, and I am going to read it cover to cover and no one is going to make me feel like it is a waste of time. I've put in 10+ hour days this week at JMT, and had class 2 nights. I'm done until Monday.

So with that, take care, I love you all and be safe in your journeys. I hope you all can find the time to do something that makes you happy. Oh--and put in a prayer for Brian.