Pay Attention

Pay Attention

Knee replacement has given me a new perspective on what it means to pay attention. Being temporarily disabled, I've had to use a cane and a wheelchair. The cane slows me down, so I tend to appreciate the weather, the solid sidewalk, and the the outdoors in general a lot more. I've always been thankful for my surroundings, but going at a snail's pace makes me much more alert to what's around me.

Then there's the wheelchair. I used one when I went to the grocery store or any other big box store. When I shopped, previous to surgery, I tried to be aware of what was around me. I never wanted to step in front of someone else or get in the way, even though I probably did. Now from the perspective of a child's height, in a chair that I had to guide, my eyes were opened to the difficulty that comes from other people not seeing what's around them. People cut in front of me, or overlooked me and pushed past. Not everyone, but most. I did have a young man offer his help as well as an employee. And of course my husband. Then there were the items on out-of-reach shelves, especially the lower shelves. When the cans were pushed back I couldn't see them, let alone reach them by myself. Although I could stand to reach the top, many people can't.

Another observation I discovered is that many people who use the chairs have invisible disabilities. I tend to believe if someone is in a chair, they need to be. As soon as I am back on my feet, I'll offer my help. If people want it great, if not that's fine too.

My purpose in writing this little rant is to bring to attention the need to "pay attention." Be aware of surroundings. See who's beside you. Know what's going on. Offer a hand. Get out of the way. Be polite and compassionate. Just pay attention!

I Don't Usually Write this Kind of Blog Post...but this is important

Sirens blared as I waited on my husband to meet me at McDonald’s. We’d driven separately to attend the Christmas Eve-eve service at church. I’d gotten ahead of him in the chaos of traffic.

By the time I heard the sirens, several minutes had passed and he’d not arrived. That feeling of fear hit the pit of my stomach. If you’ve never felt that sick twist to the gut, I can tell you it’s not good. Just as panic seeped through me, the phone rang. Thankfully Tim said, “I’m okay. I’ve been in an accident, but I’m okay.” Even though I knew in my head he was okay, the fear still gripped my heart. I wanted to go to him but couldn’t because of the congested traffic. Instead, I met him at the hospital where he was checked for injury. He ended up sore and bruised.

The car didn’t fare as well. The other driver, distracted by who knows what, plowed into the back of Tim’s Honda CRV. The car was totaled.

I write this because I want to remind everyone of the dangers of texting, using an iPad, or any other distracting device while driving. I don’t know what the driver was doing or what distracted him. But I do know that driving without paying full attention to the road can be devastating. We are thankful that Tim’s injuries are not life threatening. But they could have been. The car was wrapped around him. The back of his seat broke and threw him backwards, which probably kept him from head injury. And thank goodness he wore his seatbelt.

If you get nothing else out of this, please use common sense, pay full attention and don’t text while you drive.