Waiting for the shoe to drop!

What I am about share with you had been evolving in my mind for quite some time. You know that an event is going to happen but you aren’t sure of its arrival date. I have had this sense of foreboding for over the past few weeks.

Let me elaborate. A very good friend of mine, alias-----, is someone I have known for almost 30 years. He is an unassuming individual with a heart of gold, a fantastic listener and rather industrious. No matter what the undertaking, he gives 100% to the task at hand. This quality nearly cost him his life!

------ has been working two fulltime jobs to help make ends meet. Child support must be paid on time and he is not one to shirk his responsibility. However, taking care of his health doesn’t seem to be a #1 priority. The medical journals state that we should have about 7-8 hours of sleep to function adequately. ----- has been trying to get by on 2-3 and add to the mix, he has sleep apnea. Not a good combination, an accident waiting to happen. Pardon my pun, but that is EXACTLY what happened.

Monday, July 16th, ----- was heading for home traveling down a busy street on the south side of our fair city. The speed limit is 35mph which he was maintaining. He passed by a daycare center owned by a good friend, turned to glance at it and re-focus on the road ahead. In that short instant, he had an episode of sleep apnea meaning he dozed off. He plowed into a flatbed, tractor trailer rig. All he remembers is saying is “Oh shit, oh shit” as there was nothing he could do. The airbag deployed and the seatbelt secured him. The EMS technician and the police officer on the scene said that it was fortunate that he was driving a minivan and not a regular sedan. Needless to say, his vehicle was totaled! ----- was sent home after being checked at the emergency room with some serious bruising from the seatbelt. Ewww, words can’t begin to describe the effects. If I could get a picture, I would post it for you.

----- has been off from work for the past few days which has given him time to pause and reflect. He says it is a “wakeup call” for him and he is trying to resolve the work situation so that he only has one source of income. I shared with him that I had been waiting for that phone call I received early Monday afternoon ~ it was only a matter of time. How does one tell someone that they are doing too much and need to be careful? Trust me, I tried but to no avail. Sometimes life has to hit us with the proverbial two-by-four to get our attention. -----‘s wreck was his.

Lesson learned? Time will tell.

~ba~