Wednesday, February 5, 2020

The Day I Crossed the Double Yellow Line

On this day, two years ago, I lost control of my beloved Honda and slid over the double yellow line into oncoming traffic.  I will never forget the look of terror on the man's face as he approached me at 50mph.  There was nothing he could do.  The highway was icy and there was no way for either of us to stop before the collision.  I thought perhaps my life was over.  As I reflect on that day, I'm thankful for my life and my daughter's life.  She was sitting beside me when our lives spun out of control.  The paramedics were so focused on getting me out of the vehicle that they left my daughter behind.  The road conditions were too dangerous for my family to come to the hospital where I was treated in the trauma center so they stayed home and prayed.

Today's story is about the power of prayer.  When my wife and daughter arrived the next morning, the doctors were already talking about discharging me.  "How can this be?"  my wife asked.  "His spleen is already healing," the doctor responded.  "There's nothing we can do for the seven broken ribs except send your husband home and wish him a speedy recovery."  I really didn't do much during the day except pray nonstop since I couldn't move my body and the pain was somewhat overwhelming.

By the way, if you want to avoid wearing a neck brace after a major accident, make sure the first question you ask when you meet your ER doctors isn't, "how soon can I play competitive tennis again?"  It would have been a much better night if I could have turned my head to see my surroundings.  Oh well, that's in the past now and my bozo question is behind me.  I do happen to be on the tennis courts tonight to celebrate my victory over all the anxiety I suffered due to the accident. One of my biggest challenges during my recovery was staying off the tennis courts until my bones healed.  The accident taught me to savor every day.  Have a great day.

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