Standing in the middle of an Interstate highway, three hours from home on a beautiful summer day, I was directing traffic. Away from the mangled and scattered remains of a motorcycle. Away from the body of a young man who only five minutes before had set out to enjoy a ride in the countryside with friends.
Death doesn't ask permission. It just appears. One minute, you're here. The next...
Eternity is always just one breath away.
When I was a young man, I didn't ponder such things nearly as much. Perhaps it's the increased experience that comes with age. Perhaps only the ever-increasing realization of my own mortality.
I came face to face with our helplessness in the hands of the grim reaper ten years ago, on a glorious moonlit night, on a horsedrawn sleigh ride. The horses spooked and bolted. We lost the driver and found ourselves crashing through the dark and silent Colorado forest - accompanied only by the labored breath of two terrified draft horses and the screams of twelve terrified adults and children.
Helpless.
Fortunately, all the passengers were thrown clear before anyone died. Scrapes, bruises, broken bones. But we cheated the reaper. As the last were being loaded into cars and ambulances for the trip to the medical center (or helicopters for the more serious injuries), I finally realized how close I had come to never seeing my loved ones again.
How precious life is. How often we waste it on petty bickering and other nonsense.
That few minutes of absolute horror turned out to be a most precious gift. It changed me. Made me appreciate the people and blessings that make up my everyday existence. Made me realize just how transient those blessings can be.
Just one breath away.
Whether it's a heart attack, a drunk driver, or any other of the thousands of chances we take every day - you don't get to choose the time. Make sure you're ready to go, before the unthinkable happens. Because, when your clock runs out - there's no more time to settle your affairs, tell your loved ones how you feel, make your peace with God.
So do it now, and realize how precious and wonderful each new day really is.
The Japanese Samurai philosophy taught it's practitioners to consider themselves already dead, and to realize that each new day was a gift to be used to the maximum benefit - not squandered and wasted. Some of Japan's most prolific writers, artists and philosophers were Samurai. Making the most of each new day.
Because eternity is always just one --
