The Lies We Tell

We started our trip with the type of omen that makes you rethink the exact moment you're currently in. 

Within hours of starting a 6 week trip, we witnessed a car crash that left all participants forever changed. One split second decision changed the course of many lives that morning. As we slowly drove by, the past, present and future of everyone around me flashed before my eyes. I grappled with the idea of how to save the teen lying on the ground breathless. Could I give her mouth to mouth? Do I even remember the needed steps for CPR? Why didn't I pack the fire extinguisher? 

I watched as the young driver paced back and forth with his hands wringing through his hair. He knew from this moment on, everything would be different. The feeling of utter regret palpable for all passerby's to see. The moment of "what if?" hovering in the air.

We all have these moments. Moments where we wish we could change that one simple action and leave the swamp of dread we currently find ourselves in. 

I didn't stop. The truth is that I could not have saved that girl. I could not have helped the young man. I couldn't change what happened to them. I could only keep moving. I told the kids she would be ok. These are the lies we tell. The lies that ensure we keep on moving.

I decided to see the accident not as a warning, but a reminder. A reminder that life is fragile. Every moment we're living is a gift. In a split second, our whole lives could be forever changed with the dread of "What if?". Before I know it, my kids will stop holding my hands. They will stop asking me to tell them a story. They will stop thinking of me as someone with all the answers. They will see through the lies we tell. So for now, I will enjoy this moment. 

Onward we go to the open road ahead.





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