As I Live and Die

Well, I almost died yesterday. 

I tried to soften the melodramatic tone of that statement, but that just about sums it up. I ran a red light during busy, rush hour traffic. Totally my fault. I was second in line at a congested intersection. Tired from a day's work, I sat waiting my turn and reviewing my mental "to do" list for when I got home. The car in front of me suddenly went (a right turn, as it turned out) and the car across the intersection scooted up a bit, giving me the idea that our light had turned green. I proceeded to drive across and, as I passed under the traffic light, I looked up. A couple of things happened, all within a millisecond. 

• I noticed the light was still red. 
• I looked and saw a car stopped in the intersection where I had just driven in front of them and they had to brake quickly. 
• I heard a horn blaring and realized another car from the other direction had to do the same thing (except they took the time to honk and wave at me with one finger).

And I sailed right through that intersection unscathed. (I'm sending my guardian angel a gift basket today.)

But something else happened that I hadn't really experienced before and am maybe OK never doing so again -- my life flashed before my eyes. You hear about it. You see it depicted in movies. But it actually happened, like a quick little Facebook "your life in pictures slideshow, dummy, 'cause you weren't paying attention back there."

It seemed like a lot of images, but these are the ones I remember vividly. Note, these are still photos I possess. The actual images during my near-death experience were moving, like the pictures in Harry Potter or little snippets from home movies.

I saw a younger Daddy, smiling and waving at me.

I saw this little girl, whom I barely remember.

I saw a young and healthy Mom, laughing.

And I saw a young Jason, waiting anxiously at the altar as Daddy and I made our way down the aisle.

So, the morale of the story? I guess pay attention at red lights and live each day to its fullest. Be careful out there. Especially if you see me at an intersection.