My car's bumper is sitting on my living room couch. This is not a good sign. I might have forgotten how big my car was and taken a parking garage turn too tight, scraping the side and knocking the bumper off. I pride myself in not driving like a girl. But sometimes I drive like a girl.
I've started a couple of posts, then quit them. I've been visiting my friend John. Today I went in early and helped with breakfast, and sat around and chatted as the sun came up. Queens is a nice place, and they sure put John back together well, which many people are very, very grateful for. He had 16 hours of surgery right off the bat after the accident. There are a few things that really strike me. One is that all my mundane racing and training is just that - it's the small stuff, which is why I've had a hard time feeling like any of it was worth a post. Life can 180 in a heart beat. Quicker even. Another thing that strikes me is how often John & I said how lucky he is. This is a man who was just hit by a tour bus. But when we were discussing ideas to make cycling safer and I said we should ride facing traffic the way we run so that we can dodge crazy drivers, he busted out m1v1=m2v2. I couldn't have brought up one of Newton's laws that quick if my life depended on it.. and my only thought was yep, his head works. Thank god his head wasn't hit!
John looks better every day, he has more color, more movement, and is more and more of himself. I posted a link at the top right ----> for those that want to keep up.
I can't wait to show Sky that someone found her Cheesus. It's worth watching, just to see how seriously people take their snacks.
I am glad to hear that John is feeling better. Hope he recovers quickly.
ReplyDeleteThinking of John... Im sure he feels lucky because he has a hot bed nurse :)
ReplyDeleteYou are right, life is more important than all the training and racing we do. I hope you friend John continues to recover quickly.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, maybe it is just me, but I have a hard time seeing the Cheesus in the Cheeto... Thanks for sharing the video...that was amusing!
I've thought about your friend John a few times when I've been out and a about, and yes, he's lucky to be doing well and he's very lucky to have such amazing friends in his life. :o)
ReplyDeleteOn April 28th my 39 year old brother-in-law was killed at his home while operating an excavator. He was trying to clear an area and plant some trees to make a better yard for his kids. He left behind my 33 year old sister and their two children aged 5 and 2. My life may never be the same and I have been struggling to make sense of my "routine." You're right about so many things feeling mundane and gaining a whole new appreciation for things in our life that really matter. All of this is part of grief because you are grieving too for the person your friend used to be - and hoping that he will one day be himself again. Your post is pertinent because it helped me today to read that someone is feeling the way I do right now. I know I won't fully quit my eating and exercise routine but I am discovering that my life has a different order now. I guess you'd call it a new normal.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about all of this. The ups and downs of training/racing seem so trivial when compared to such a significant and life-changing event as this. These instances of car vs. bike are becoming all too common lately and it is very sad and terrifying to hear about. Best wishes to John for a speedy and full recovery.
ReplyDeleteSpot on RR - I am grateful that John is recovering and getting better each day. But something like this really puts life into perspective. I'm just so grateful that he's going to be okay... Take care of yourself (and the bumper) as well. :)
ReplyDeletehey, I drive like a Real Man, and there are bits of my car all over the horizon ;-)
ReplyDeletebut I've never had a bumper on the couch, not even when we lived in N Carolina..
glad to hear John is coming back. Bravo to the doctors, and to the kind hearts supporting him.
So sorry to hear about him. I just wrote a post Tuesday about cars vs. bikes when I heard Dave Scott was hit (http://j-trialbyfire.blogspot.com/2009/05/warning-biking-is-dangerous.html) and unfortunately, I've known too many riders who've gotten hit in some form or fashion.
ReplyDeleteLife can take a 180. Steve Larsen 39 just passed on Tuesday during a track workout leaving a wife and 5 kids. My heart goes out to them
ReplyDeletehttp://jayprasuhn.blogspot.com/2009/05/steve-larsen-study-in-balance.html
Ah yes, remembering that life is a gift. Thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteGlad John is healing. And life is so so so much more than training, blogging, etc. Those things really do not matter at all when you put it in perspective.
ReplyDeleteToo many bike/car/bus accidents. Glad to hear John is recovering. (Even though I don't know him personally, my heart still goes out to him.)
ReplyDeleteNow about "Cheesus": that thing would have been in my belly so fast. Did you see how big that thing was? It looked sooo delicious. And it would have been the only one I ate because I am very careful about my food intake. (I couldn't even type that with a straight face.)